If it is to safeguard the quality and availability of care for future generations too, the healthcare sector is faced with some enormous challenges: an expected shortage of personnel, the affordability of care and the battle for the discerning consumer. Healthcare organizations are seeking solutions to these complex issues. There is increasing scope for entrepreneurship here. Our solutions focusing on streamlined operations and hospitality are perfectly suited to dealing with these problems. This is also reflected in our results. In the Netherlands turnover from activities in the healthcare sector grew by almost 20%. Our managed operating result also rose, climbing by 2.0 million euro.
Healthcare
Healthcare Netherlands: a wealth of opportunities
Assist
This growth can largely be attributed to Assist's activities in joint ventures. Together with home care organization Orbis, last year Assist developed a new organization and successfully implemented a smart automation system. This has clearly improved the home care organization's profitability. It is Vebego's first joint venture in the area of home care under the Dutch Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ). In 2011 Assist also launched a joint venture with Stichting Thuiszorg Midden-Gelderland.
In addition, it entered into a strategic alliance with nursing and care organization Zorgbalans that will see Assist assume responsibility for facilities management over the next 5 years. Alongside Vitaal Flex, Assist has also started another new flexi-pool company: Vierstroom Variant, a joint venture with nursing and care organization Vierstroom.
Hago Zorg
In a market where demand is rising and funds are falling, Hago Zorg managed to distinguish itself in 2011. The company grew organically via traditional client-supplier agreements, but also via joint ventures, which now account for 34% of its turnover. With two hospitality programmes, Glansrijk Gastvrij and VIP, Hago Zorg is responding to the ever-increasing demands from healthcare organizations for assistance in putting hospitality into practice.
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Healthcare Belgium
Last year we significantly strengthened our position in the Belgian healthcare sector by increasing our activities in the area of home care via service vouchers. We achieved growth through, amongst other things, the acquisition of service voucher companies. Our managed turnover rose from 34.7 to 47.5 million euro, an increase of no less than 12.8 million euro, while our managed operating result remained stable. The challenge we now face is to make our market position sufficiently profitable.