A new tulip was baptized in Erasmus MC on Friday 23 April. This special white tulip, grown in the heart of the Bollenstreek, will henceforth be known as the "Healthcare". Diederik Gommers, intensivist at Erasmus MC, member of the OMT and recently also Dutch celebrity, was given the honor of baptizing the white tulip on behalf of the care sector.
Connecting tulip
"I feel honoured," says Gommers. "But the entire care sector and all Dutch people have of course earned this tulip. I may be the figurehead, but it's not about me. The point is that we are doing this together. It is really special that we work together with all hospitals in the Netherlands in this way, because you are normally each other's competitor. But even when you see what the young people have done to protect the elderly, I think that is really very clever. We really did it together. The Healthcare as a "connecting" tulip is a beautiful symbol for this entire period."
"We didn't have to think long about a suitable name for this special tulip," adds Louis van Diest of FBT from Hillegom. "As a token of appreciation, the healthcare sector deserves to be honoured with a tulip named after them. We asked Diederik Gommers to baptize the Healthcare tulip. A familiar face from the healthcare field who keeps us all informed about the course of the Covid situation in hospitals in an accessible manner. We are very grateful to him for that."
On sale next year
The Healthcare is a white lily-flowered tulip with a special shape that blooms abundantly in the garden. FBT Tuinbouw & Makelaardij, located in Hillegom, has registered this newcomer in the arsenal of tulips with the KAVB (the Royal General Association for Flower Bulb Culture). The baptizing of the tulip took place in a small committee at the Erasmus MC. The Healthcare tulip will be available for sale from next year.