Conny Helder

Conny Helder
Helder in 2022
Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport
In office
10 January 2024 – 2 July 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byErnst Kuipers
Succeeded byFleur Agema
Minister for Long-term Care and Sport
In office
10 January 2022 – 10 January 2024
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byTamara van Ark
Succeeded byPia Dijkstra[a]
Personal details
Born (1958-11-27) 27 November 1958 (age 65)
The Hague, Netherlands
Political partyPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Children2
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Healthcare manager
  • politician
Signature

Conny Helder (born 27 November 1958) is a Dutch healthcare manager, who served as the Minister for Long-term Care and Sport and, for a few months, as Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in the fourth Rutte cabinet (2022–2024).

She was born in The Hague and trained to be a surgical assistant. She rose to managerial positions in hospitals and served as chair of the board of directors of an Eindhoven network of primary healthcare centers starting in 2010. Helder became director of tanteLouise, a major provider of elderly care in the Bergen op Zoom area, seven years later and was involved in a number of projects to renovate existing and construct new nursing homes. She also led a regional cooperation to promote innovations in the elderly care sector. tanteLouise was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which reached the Netherlands in February 2020. Helder, who had become a board member of the trade association ActiZ the month before, made frequent media appearances to comment on the pandemic and to advocate the association's positions.

When the fourth Rutte cabinet was formed, Helder was asked to join as Minister for Long-term Care and Sport on behalf of the centre-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). She was sworn in on 10 January 2022 and proposed a plan to provide more elderly care at home rather than in nursing homes in reaction to the aging population of the Netherlands. She succeeded Ernst Kuipers as Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in January 2024 following his resignation and served in that position until July 2024.

Early life and healthcare career

[edit]

Helder was born on 27 November 1958 in The Hague. She attended the secondary school Jan Campert Mavo in that city in the years 1971–74 and subsequently did havo and vwo at Thorbecke Lyceum. Helder applied to study medicine but was rejected because of a quota, and she started studying chemistry at Leiden University in 1978 instead.[1][2] She dropped out the next year to follow a training at Bronovo and Westeinde, two The Hague hospitals, to become a surgical assistant.[2][3] She completed it three years later and started working.[1][2] Between 1986 and 1988, Helder also followed executive training in healthcare at The Hague University of Applied Sciences.[2][4] She did another part-time study at Leiden University during this period in political science but did not finish it.[2] Helder started filling managerial positions in hospitals, initially in The Hague and Amsterdam.[5] In 2000, she became manager at the University Medical Center Utrecht's (UMCU) surgical division.[2][6] She switched to the surgical specialties division of the same hospital four years later.[2]

Helder left UMCU in July 2010 to become chair of the board of directors of the Eindhoven Corporation of Primary Health Care Centers (SGE).[3] The organization operated ten centers in the city of Eindhoven with general practitioners, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and psychologists, among others. It was suffering from a €1.6 million operating deficit as well as a conflict between Helder's predecessor and healthcare professionals. Helder told upon her appointment that she wanted to expressly involve the latter group in important decisions.[7] In 2015, under her leadership, SGE opened a new healthcare center in Strijp-S for expats living in Eindhoven after an evaluation had shown that many expats did not trust the Dutch healthcare system due to the relatively important role of general practitioners.[8][9]

tanteLouise and COVID-19 pandemic

[edit]
It was decided under Helder's leadership to demolish the main building of Huize St. Catharina in Bergen op Zoom to make room for a new development.

Helder started serving as director of tanteLouise, an elderly care provider active in Bergen op Zoom, Steenbergen, and Woensdrecht, in June 2017. Back then, the organization employed 1,800 people and took care of approximately 4,000 elderly people, including 1,100 in its approximately fifteen nursing homes.[10][11][12][13] She wanted to improve the healthcare chain and to sign more longer-term agreements with health insurance companies and municipalities.[14] The following year, one of its nursing homes in Steenbergen started experimenting with augmented reality glasses for medical diagnoses by remote specialists.[15] Her tenure also saw the closing of some facilities, mostly older and smaller retirement homes, and the construction and renovation of others. To enable these changes, a temporary facility with close to 100 units was opened in 2019 on the grounds of mental institution Vrederust in Halsteren.[16] Plans to tear down most of Huize St. Catharina in Bergen op Zoom in order to build a new facility faced some resistance due to the perceived historical value of the complex from 1929. However, the municipality decided against listing it as a heritage site, paving the way for its demolition.[17] Helder became chair of the board of directors of the West-Brabant Care Innovation Center (CIC), a cooperation between local healthcare providers to promote innovations, in 2019.[11] A few months before, a new nursing home of tanteLouise for dementia patients called Hof van Nassau had opened in Steenbergen, featuring several technological innovations such as GPS trackers to allow inhabitants to roam around more freely. It drew attention from the BBC, CCTV, and a delegation from Tsinghua University, and Helder joined Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Hugo de Jonge on a working visit to China.[18][19]

In January 2020, Helder joined the board of ActiZ, a national trade association representing about 400 elderly care providers.[20][21] The first case of the coronavirus in the Netherlands was detected on 27 February, marking the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[22] Together with other leaders of healthcare organizations in North Brabant, Helder established the Regionaal Overleg Niet Acute Zorg (RONAZ; Regional consultation of non-acute care) the following month.[23] The body advised nursing homes to close their doors to visitors in order to mitigate the spread of the virus to this vulnerable group; Helder complied and did not allow any visitors starting on 16 March.[24] The third Rutte cabinet made the measure mandatory three days later.[25] The complete ban remained in place until 19 May, while Helder had called it no longer sustainable and inhumane a month earlier.[26][27] Despite precautions, several nursing homes of tanteLouise experienced outbreaks of the coronavirus including Het Nieuwe ABG, where the army assisted and where 29 out of 168 inhabitants died in late 2020.[28][29] Vaccinations started in the Netherlands in early January 2021, initially only at dedicated centers. A few weeks later – after the creation of smaller vaccine batches had been made possible – vaccinations commenced at nursing homes and disability care centers, and tanteLouise was chosen to be among twelve organizations that received the vaccines first as part of a pilot.[30] On 1 March 2021, Helder, who used to be tanteLouise's sole director, was joined on the board of directors by two others. The supervisory board stated that the move was necessitated by increasingly complex elderly care, innovations, and major real estate projects.[31]

Being a spokesperson for ActiZ and RONAZ, Helder often commented on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing homes in the media, leading Brabants Dagblad to describe her as the face of elderly care during the pandemic.[21][32] She drew attention to shortages in nursing homes of personal protective equipment at the start of the first wave of infections and of personnel in later stages, when many employees were absent after having contracted the virus.[33][34] Helder also voiced the opinion that elderly care was initially overlooked in comparison to intensive care.[35] After vaccines had become widely available, she defended ActiZ's position that elderly care facilities should have insight into the vaccination status of their employees. She said it would enable organizations to have discussions with teams with a low rate.[36] Helder was among three people shortlisted in September 2020 for the title Topvrouw van het Jaar (Female leader of the year).[37]

Fourth Rutte cabinet

[edit]

Helder became Minister for Long-term Care and Sport in January 2022 as part of the new fourth Rutte cabinet on behalf of the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). That party had won a plurality in the general election held in March 2021 and had formed a coalition with the centrist-progressive Democrats 66 (D66) party and the centrist-conservative Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union (CU) parties. The cabinet was sworn in on 10 January by King Willem-Alexander at Noordeinde Palace.[38][39] Helder is a minister without portfolio – meaning that she does not lead a ministry of her own – and her responsibilities are long-term care (elderly and disabled care), mental healthcare, district nursing care, personal health budget, quality policy, labor market policy, sport, coordination of accountability of the health ministry's COVID-19 policy, lawful care and good management, decreasing bureaucracy, and organizability/regionalization.[2] She set herself the goal of "keeping healthcare qualitatively good while also keeping it affordable, accessible, and attractive".[3]

Healthcare policy

[edit]

Helder called the required growth in healthcare personnel due to an aging population unsustainable; the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) had concluded that a quarter of the labor force would have to work in the healthcare and welfare sectors in 2040, up from one-sixth in 2021. Helder said that healthcare therefore had to be organized differently.[40] She presented a plan in July 2022 called Wonen, Ondersteuning en Zorg voor Ouderen (WOZO; Living, support, and care for the elderly) to reform elderly care in the Netherlands by having the elderly live at home for a longer time as opposed to moving to a nursing home. Helder planned to achieve this goal through health care prevention, additional housing for the elderly, and technological innovations such as videotelephony and robots. The cabinet set aside €770 million for this purpose for the next five years.[41][42] Helder accordingly abandoned the government's plans to add 50,000 nursing home spots by 2031 in favor of raising the capacity of total nursing care by the same number.[43] She also launched a new program to spend €500 million per year to retain healthcare workers by increasing job satisfaction through innovation, education, development, and increased participation in decisions. The latter program was criticized by the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV) for not including plans for higher wages.[44]

With her appointment as minister, Helder took over an investigation into a €100 million sale of imported face masks to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by TV pundit and activist Sywert van Lienden and two accomplices. They claimed the deal was not-for-profit at a time when there was a shortage of personal protective equipment, but it was later discovered that it had earned them €20 million.[45] When newspaper de Volkskrant reported in March 2022 that former health minister Hugo de Jonge had insisted that officials reach out to Van Lienden despite having earlier denied any involvement, a majority of the House of Representatives asked Helder for a statement of facts. She did not comply, citing the fact that the delayed investigation was still ongoing.[46] Helder did release a number of documents related to De Jonge's involvement including a letter of his ahead of a debate.[47][48] She admitted that De Jonge had asked for the release, and she apologized following criticism from opposition parties that she only informed the House at his request after initially refusing to do so.[49] Helder decided to take legal action against Van Lienden's company in October 2023.[50]

Sports

[edit]

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the cabinet decided to send Helder to attend a match between the Netherlands and host country Qatar. The House of Representatives had earlier carried a motion not to send a government delegation due to the country's human rights record.[51] Following calls to wear an armband of the anti-discrimination campaign OneLove, Helder was criticized for showing up with a much smaller pin instead.[52] She also wore a scarf that read "Never mind", but she later mentioned this had been unintentional.[53] In March 2023, Helder announced the government would establish an independent integrity center for abuse, doping, and match fixing in sports and that the Center for Safe Sports Netherlands (CVSN) would be transferred from NOC*NSF to the new body to increase its independence. The move followed a wave of allegations of inappropriate behavior in the sports world.[54]

Demissionary cabinet

[edit]

The fourth Rutte cabinet collapsed on 7 July 2023 due to disagreements over asylum reforms and continued as a demissionary cabinet.[55] The House of Representatives subsequently declared the topic of budget cuts for elderly care controversial, meaning the cabinet could no longer make decisions on it. However, a €460-million planned spending reduction for 2024 had already been worked out by the ministry.[56] The government finally announced that it would scrap half of the cut as part of its budget.[57] Helder became acting Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport when Ernst Kuipers stepped down on 10 January 2024 to pursue an unspecified job.[58] Her new position became permanent when Pia Dijkstra was sworn in on 2 February as Minister for Medical Care, a ministership without portfolio.[59] Helder's term came to an end on 2 July 2024, when the Schoof cabinet was installed.[60]

Personal life

[edit]

Helder has been living in 's-Hertogenbosch since the 1990s, and her partner is a general practitioner from that city. They have a son and a daughter, who were born around 2000.[4][61]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ As minister responsible for the medical care portfolio, and minister without portfolio within the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Helder, Conny (7 July 2022). "Minister Helder over de ggz: 'We moeten ons afvragen of we elke zorgvraag met zorg moeten beantwoorden'" [Minister Helder about mental healthcare: 'We have to ask ourselves whether we should react with healthcare to all demand for care']. de Volkskrant (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Gijs Herderscheê. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Conny Helder". Rijksoverheid (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Van der Leij, Lien (2 February 2022). "Minister 'zonder verborgen agenda'" [Minister 'without a hidden agenda']. FD (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b Dikkers, Pim (2 April 2022). "Conny Helder flirtte al jaren met de politiek: 'Zonder corona was ik misschien al eerder minister geweest'" [Conny Helder had been flirting with politics for years: 'Without COVID-19, I would have maybe become a minister earlier']. BD (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  5. ^ Van Aartsen, Carina (3 January 2022). "Conny Helder wil de ouderenzorg 'radicaal' veranderen" [Conny Helder wants to 'radically' change elderly care]. Zorgvisie (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Nieuwe bestuurder gezondheidscentra" [New health care center director]. Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). 12 June 2010.
  7. ^ Weber, Natasja (24 July 2010). "Gezondheidscentra 'Werken aan herstel' - SGE herpakt zich na crisis en geldzorgen" [Healthcare centra 'are working on recovery' - SGE gets back on track after crisis and worries about money]. Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch).
  8. ^ Van der Storm, Lukas (11 December 2014). "Kenniswerker vertrouwt de huisarts niet" [Knowledge worker does not trust the general practitioner]. Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch).
  9. ^ Van der Kooi, Vanda (12 October 2019). "Gezondheidscentrum voor expats in Eindhoven is voltreffer" [Healthcare center for expats in Eindhoven is a major success]. ED (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Conny Helder volgt Jef Pelgrims op" [Conny Helder succeeds Jef Pelgrims]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). 25 March 2017. p. 2.
  11. ^ a b Van der Rijt, Franka (4 December 2019). "West-Brabantse proeftuin voor zorginnovatie: zelfs luiers krijgen een slimme clip" [West-Brabant testing ground for healthcare innovation: Even diapers get a smart clip]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Onze locaties" [Our locations]. tanteLouise (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ "Organisatie" [Organization]. tanteLouise (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ Van Ingen, Henk (30 June 2017). "'TanteLouise is voorloper in veld van ouderenzorg'" ['TanteLouise is forerunner in elderly care']. BN DeStem (in Dutch). p. 5.
  15. ^ Van Ingen, Henk (13 December 2017). "Slimme bril voor efficiënte zorg" [Smart glasses for efficient healthcare]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). p. 1.
  16. ^ Imandt, Florence (23 February 2019). "Honderden ouderen tanteLouise gaan verhuizen" [Hundreds of elderly at tanteLouise will move]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  17. ^ De Brie, Peter (5 June 2020). "Geen koopappartementen meer bij Ketrientje, wel 260 zorgwoningen" [No more apartments for sale at Ketrientje but 260 care homes]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  18. ^ Peppelaar, Marjo (15 August 2019). "Chinese delegatie bezoekt Hof van Nassau Steenbergen: 'Ik zou hier zo willen wonen'" [Chinese delegation visits Hof van Nassau in Steenbergen: 'I would move here in a heartbeat']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  19. ^ Moerland, Sandra (20 January 2020). "Hof van Nassau in beeld bij Chinezen" [Hof van Nassau on Chinese screens]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). p. 19.
  20. ^ Van der Rijt, Franka (28 February 2020). "Zo ga je in coronatijd met ouderen om in het verpleeghuis" [This is how you treat elderly people in nursing homes in COVID times]. BD (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  21. ^ a b Roovers, Paul (23 April 2020). "Bossche Conny Helder is hét gezicht van ouderen: 'Corona is venijnig, naargeestig en onnavolgbaar'" [Conny Helder from Den Bosch is the face of the elderly: 'Corona is vicious, dismal, and unparalleled]. BD (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Eerste Nederlander met coronavirus opgenomen in Tilburg, 'man vierde carnaval'" [First Dutch person with coronavirus hospitalized in Tilburg, 'man celebrated Carnival']. NOS (in Dutch). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  23. ^ Cup, Ine (18 September 2020). "Wie van deze drie Brabantse vrouwen wordt Topvrouw van het Jaar?" [Who of these three Brabant women will become Topvrouw van het Jaar?]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  24. ^ Van der Rijt, Franka (16 March 2020). "Corona: geen bezoek meer voor ouderen in huizen tanteLouise" [Corona: No more visits for elderly in tanteLouise homes]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Alle verpleeghuizen op slot: bezoek niet meer toegestaan" [All nursing homes close down: Visitors not allowed anymore]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Meer verpleeghuizen mogen vanaf 25 mei bezoek ontvangen" [More nursing homes can receive visitors starting on 25 May]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  27. ^ Van Houwelingen, Hanneke; Van der Mee, Tonny (17 April 2020). "De onzichtbare ramp in de verpleeghuizen: 'Zoveel sterfgevallen heb ik nooit meegemaakt, alsof de afdeling door mijn vingers glipt'" [The invisible disaster in nursing homes: 'I have never experienced this many deaths, it's as if I'm losing control over the unit']. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  28. ^ Van de Kasteele, Timo (12 November 2020). "85 bewoners van Nieuwe ABG hebben corona, maar verpleeghuis blijft open: 'Sluiting willen we koste wat kost voorkomen'" [85 inhabitants of Het Nieuwe ABG have corona, but the nursing home stays open: 'We want to prevent a closure no matter what']. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  29. ^ Van der Rijt, Franka (10 December 2020). "Corona-uitbraak in verpleeghuis Bergen op Zoom eist 29 levens" [Corona outbreak in Bergen op Zoom nursing home leads to 29 deaths]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  30. ^ Huisman, Charlotte (13 January 2021). "Pfizer-vaccin toch inzetbaar voor verpleeghuisbewoners en gehandicapten" [Pfizer vaccine available for nursing home inhabitants and disabled people after all]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Twee personen extra in Raad tanteLouise" [Two people added to board tanteLouise]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). 27 February 2021. p. 5.
  32. ^ Visser, Marco; Pols, Gidi (16 April 2020). "De sterfte in verpleeghuizen blijft voorlopig stijgen, hoe kan het dat het virus hier zo hard toeslaat?" [Deaths in nursing homes remain on the rise, why is the virus hitting them so hard?]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  33. ^ Huisman, Charlotte (8 April 2020). "RIVM: 900 van de 2.500 verpleeghuizen met corona besmet" [RIVM: 900 of the 2,500 nursing homes have COVID-19 infections]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  34. ^ "'Ziekte-uitval onder verpleeghuispersoneel neemt toe'" ['Absenteeism among nursing home employees on the rise']. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 22 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  35. ^ Van den Dool, Pim; Weeda, Frederiek (16 April 2020). "Worden de kwetsbaarste mensen wel genoeg beschermd?" [Do vulnerable people receive enough protection?]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  36. ^ Van de Klundert, Mitchell (1 September 2021). "Werkgevers ouderenzorg willen weten of personeel gevaccineerd is" [Elderly care employers want to know whether employees have been vaccinated]. NOS (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Mariëlle Bartholomeus, medisch directeur ziekenhuis Bernhoven, topvrouw van het jaar" [Mariëlle Bartholomeus, medical director of Bernhoven hospital, Topvrouw van het Jaar]. NOS (in Dutch). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  38. ^ "Rutte IV vandaag op bordes" [Rutte IV today on steps]. BNR Nieuwsradio (in Dutch). 10 January 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  39. ^ "Definitieve uitslag verkiezingen: VVD 34 zetels, D66 24 en vier nieuwe partijen" [Final election results: 34 seats for VVD, 24 for D66 and four new parties]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Het aantal arbeidsplaatsen in de zorg kan niet oneindig groeien, vindt minister Helder (Langdurige Zorg), dus moet de zorg anders worden georganiseerd" [The number of jobs in the healthcare sector cannot keep growing, according to Minister Helder (Long-term Care), so healthcare has to be organized differently]. Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch). 16 May 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  41. ^ Tunali, Tan (4 July 2022). "Minister Helder wil ouderenzorg anders organiseren: zelfredzaam en 'digitaal als het kan'" [Helder wants to organized elderly care differently: Self-reliant and 'digital if possible']. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Betaalbare ouderenzorg met robot en beeldbellen" [Affordable elderly care with robot and videotelephony]. Binnenlands Bestuur (in Dutch). ANP. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  43. ^ "Kamer vreest tekort aan capaciteit verpleeghuiszorg" [House fears shortage of nursing home spots]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  44. ^ "Half miljard per jaar voor arbeidsmarkt zorg" [Half billion per year for healthcare labor market]. Dagblad De Limburger (in Dutch). ANP. 1 October 2022. p. 17.
  45. ^ Henley, Jon (8 June 2021). "Dutch to investigate business trio's €100m face mask deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  46. ^ Klaassen, Niels (29 March 2022). "De Jonge hoeft niet naar Sywert-debat te komen: minister Helder moet wel uitleg geven" [De Jong does not have to attend Sywert debate: Minister Helder does have to give an explanation]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  47. ^ "Oppositie ontevreden over vrijgegeven stukken mondkapjesdeal" [Opposition dissatisfied with released documents face mask deal]. Het Parool (in Dutch). ANP. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  48. ^ Kieskamp, Wilma (6 April 2022). "Van Lienden moest 'geknuffeld' worden: kan De Jonge de Kamer vandaag overtuigen van zijn integriteit?" [Van Lienden had to be 'hugged': Will De Jonge be able to convince the House of his integrity?]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  49. ^ "Excuses minister Helder om slecht informeren Tweede Kamer" [Apologies from Minister Helder for badly informing House of Representatives]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  50. ^ "Staat begint rechtszaak tegen bedrijf Van Lienden om mondkapjesdeal" [Government takes legal action against company Van Lienden due to mask deal]. Trouw (in Dutch). ANP. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  51. ^ "Sportminister Helder gaat namens kabinet naar WK voetbal in Qatar" [Sport minister Helder attends FIFA World Cup in Qatar on behalf of the cabinet]. NOS (in Dutch). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  52. ^ "Minister Helder draagt speldje in plaats van OneLove-band, Qatari maken wél statement met armband" [Minister Helder wears pin instead of OneLove band; Qatari do make statement with armband]. AD (in Dutch). 29 November 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  53. ^ Peer, Wouter (1 December 2022). "Minister Helder had niet door dat tekst 'never mind' op sjaal stond: 'Gewoon onhandig'" [Minister Helder did not realize the text 'never mind' was on her scarf: 'Just clumsy']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  54. ^ "Onafhankelijk centrum tegen sportmisstanden zoals wangedrag en doping" [Independent center against abuse in sports such as misconduct and doping]. Trouw (in Dutch). 29 March 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  55. ^ "Dit is wat we nu weten over de val van kabinet-Rutte IV" [This is what we know about the fall of the fourth Rutte cabinet]. NOS (in Dutch). 8 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  56. ^ "Bezuiniging ouderenzorg nog onzeker" [Elderly care budget cuts still unclear]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). 15 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  57. ^ Vermeer, Oscar. "Deel van de bezuinigingen ouderenzorg in 2024 van de baan" [Part of 2024 elderly care budget cuts abandoned]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  58. ^ "Ook minister Kuipers (D66) van Volksgezondheid per direct weg" [Health care minister Kuipers (D66) also resigns effective immediately]. NOS (in Dutch). 10 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  59. ^ "Pia Dijkstra wordt minister voor medische zorg" [Pia Dijkstra will become Minister for Medicale Care]. Trouw (in Dutch). ANP. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  60. ^ "Ministers en staatssecretarissen kabinet-Schoof beëdigd" [Ministers and state secretaries of Schoof cabinet sworn in]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  61. ^ "Dagboek van Conny Helder tijdens de coronastorm" [Diary of Conny Helder during the corona crisis]. BN DeStem (in Dutch). 4 April 2020. p. 4–5.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Long-term Care and Sport
2022–2024
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport
2024
Succeeded by