The bad thing about not
speaking the language of the country you live in is missing out on the news.
Big news. Last year, there was a shortage of birth control pills in The Netherlands for 3 months. When I read Jorien van der Weerd’s blog
about it, I was surprised that the public debate had not burst my expat bubble
and exposed me to this crisis. Yes, it was a crisis, since a third of the people
using contraceptive pills, 1.2 million women were affected.
 |
| Source: NHS |
Dutchies being cheap
It is worth to mention
that the reason why there was a shortage of contraceptive pills (and there are often shortages of other medicines) is because Dutch medicine laws are cheap –
only the lowest cost medicine is reimbursed by health insurance. This means pharmacies
mostly buy the cheapest brands of pills, and if the supply from abroad is low –
stock runs out fast.
Health is a delicate
subject for negotiation of costs. A study
revealed how Hong Kong lost its trust in public health after poor handling of
a SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak. Some important factors to
maintain public trust studied in the article are “reassuring the public in its ability
to take preventive measures in the future” and “demonstrating a strong commitment
to the public good.” These points were not well executed by Dutch health
communication.
When the news media revealed
essential flaws in the Dutch pharmaceutical trade business, neither the government
nor the health insurance companies (with exception to one) communicated any
preventative measures for the future. The health spokespeople also somewhat downgraded
the issue, suggesting that women could take alternative pills for the time being,
not really evaluating the negative effects it could have on women. While this
was not a health crisis, not taking women’s birth control rights
seriously is rather insensitive.
 |
| Source: Wikipedia |
What did the media say
Being a latecomer to
this crisis, I tracked down what the news media had written about this crisis.
One thing that became immediately apparent is the use of different frames by the
media. While some sources focused on the deficit
and on advice
to pharmacies, another source was outspoken that “Teenage girls will get pregnant unwantedly.” This crisis took place in September
2018, but still in April 2019 pills were being rationed.
It’s quite shocking that such things can happen in a country like The Netherlands.
 |
| Source: RTL nieuws (translated) |
What does research
say
On the other hand, the media’s
reporting is not surprising. Research shows, journalists frame the same issue differently because they are
competing for readership. The use of different frames brings in more readers as they
try to collect more information on the issue.
What the different news
media have in common, however, is that they all picked up on the negative
consequences of this crisis. Accordingly, research shows that negative consequences in an issue often get covered by
journalists from press releases. While I could not find the press release for this
issue (language barrier), every news article specifically stressed the negative
consequences of this crisis.
For women living in the
Netherlands I hope this crisis will be solved in a more sustainable way than
rationing pills. This crisis points to quite a weak handling of pharmaceutical-related issues by the PR of health institutions.
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About the author: Ruta Butkute is a Corporate
Communications Master’s student at the University of Amsterdam. Coming from a
Liberal Arts and Science background, she has an interest in race studies and
communications and wishes to pursue a career in the non-profit world. Her
other (irrelevant) interests are walking with her dog and eating good food.
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