SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Nearly 200 cows and horses had to be rescued on Monday from meadows that were on the brink of being flooded by rising rivers. A total of 122 Konik horses, a semi-feral breed native to Poland, and 66 cattle in the Munnikeland nature reserve were herded onto the Wakkere Dijk, the only patch of dry ground left in the area of western Gelderland.

All the fields in the area around the fortified castle Slot Lovenstein have been flooded by water from the Maas and Waal rivers, which have been swelled by heavy rain in the Alps.

In a delicate operation, the cows and horses were guided to safety by forest rangers, one of whom followed the group slowly in a car. The rangers had to be careful not to startle the animals and make them bolt towards the water.

At one point the cows tried to turn back because two of the calves became separated from the group, but all the beasts eventually made their way to the dike, where they are likely to have to stay until the end of the week.

Towns and rural areas in the east of the country are having to take steps to protect land and communities from the rising waters. In Nijmegen the Waalkade is being closed to traffic from 6pm on Monday and street lighting switched off as the road is expected to flood.

Last week pathways in the Gelderse Poort area were closed to walkers to protect animals seeking shelter on higher ground. Anyone ignoring the locked gates risks having to pay a fine of €99.

The Maas, Rijn and Waal are expected to reach their peak level on Tuesday, when they will be 2.5 metres higher than normal for this time of year. Waterschap Rivierenland, the water board for the eastern region that includes Arnhem and Nijmegen, said it expected the dikes to hold firm.

‘We haven’t seen anything unusual, just some flotsam here and there but not to the extent that the dikes are in danger.’ Elsewhere the combination of high river levels and bright sunshine at the weekend encouraged watersports enthusiasts to take to the water by boat, canoe and surfboard. (DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - Gamma IT Solutions developed RXPro, a complete AIS system for the distribution of prescription and non-prescription medicines.  Since then, the pharmacy software has been making inroads in different markets, with Gamma adapting the software for each specific market. 

RxPro was first introduced in Curacao last year at Botika Mahuma, and Gamma is proud to announce that two more pharmacies in Curacao are now using the software, namely Botika Barber and Botika Stakamahachi.

Gamma's project manager Koos Veel commented, “RXPro is a win-win software.  It benefits both the pharmacy and the pharmacy’s clients.  So when we first introduced RXPro to Curacao, we knew it wouldn’t be long before more pharmacies would adopt the software. Actually, we already have a commitment with four more phamarcies in Curacao that will implement the software soon.”

Gamma initially developed RXPro for the Aruban market, but has modified the software to specifically meet the needs of pharmacies and clients in Curacao.  RXPro features several modules that directly benefit clients, including a medication control application that manages the distribution of medication based on six criteria, ensuring the safety of all patients. 

Likewise, a number of modules guarantee greater efficiency for pharmacies, such as the inventory control module; a built-in “Suggested Purchase Order” module that offers pharmacists a convenient way to make regular purchase orders; a module that handles the logistics of magistral preparations, including automatic cost calculation and automatic deductions from inventory; and a billing module that automatically handles monthly declarations to Curacao’s health insurance agency. 

Other features include barcode-based scanning and searching, role-based access control, continuous synchronization of data for pharmacy groups, and report and audit trail generation.

Veel adds, “We developed RXPro using modules, giving us the ability to simply add more modules to meet the ever-changing needs of both pharmacies and clients.  For this reason, when pharmacies adopt the software, they are investing in a product with incredible longevity, and we are proud that more pharmacies in Curacao are choosing to make this wise investment.”

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – One in four people are now opting for the maximum health insurance own risk payment of €885, according to research by comparison websites Pricewise and Independer.

And a spokesman for comparison website Zorgwijzer.nl told DutchNews.nl they too had noticed an increase. ‘Last year 10.2% of our users opted for a maximum charge, but that has gone up to 13.1% this year,’ the spokesman said.

The statutory own risk is €385 but people have the option to increase this by €500. In return, they benefit from a cut in their monthly premiums of up to €25. People who opt for the maximum are responsible for paying for the first €885 of insured treatment over the year.

At the end of last year, Chris Oomen, head of the smaller insurance company DSW, wrote an open letter condemning the rising popularity of a maximum own risk payment.  He said it was unjust that only healthy people are able to benefit from the premium discount. (DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – The Netherlands three specialist burns centres in Groningen, Beverwijk and Rotterdam treated 66 people for burns during the New Year festivities, news agency ANP said on Thursday.

Of them, most were young men and boys aged eight to 25, ANP quoted the Brandwonden foundation as saying. In addition, the specialist eye unit in Rotterdam treated eight people with serious injuries, six of whom are likely to have lasting damage to their eyes.

Pressure is mounting in the Netherlands for a ban on consumer firework sales to reduce the number of firework-related injuries during the New Year festivities. (DutchNews)