Els Borst
Else "Els" Borst-Eilers (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛlsə ˈɛls ˈbɔrst ˈɛilərs]; 22 March 1932 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party. She served as Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002 in the Cabinets Kok I and II. Borst also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 3 August 1998 until 22 July 2002 in the Second purple cabinet. For the Dutch general election of 1998 she was the Lijsttrekker (top candidate) and served as Leader of the Democrats 66 from 15 February 1998 until 30 May 1998. The Democrats 66 lost ten seats and Borst became the Parliamentary leader of the Democrats 66 in House of Representatives serving from 19 May 1998 until 30 May 1998 and as a Member of the House of Representatives from 19 May 1998 until 3 August 1998.
Borst attended the Barlaeus Gymnasium of Amsterdam graduating in 1950. The same school was attended by People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) leader Frits Bolkestein, who was one class below her. Between 1950 and 1958, she followed a medical education at the University of Amsterdam where she obtained her medical degree in 1958. Subsequently, Borst worked as a resident physician at the hospital Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam where she specialized in pediatric medicine and immunohaematology. In 1965 Borst started writing her doctoral thesis, while working as a medical scientist at Utrecht University, researching immunohaematology. In 1972 she received her Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Amsterdam following research on the development and prevention of rhesus immunisation. In 1969 she was the head of the Bloodbank of the University Hospital of Utrecht, and in 1976 she became medical director of that hospital. In 1986 she left this position to become vice-chair of the Health Council, which she combined from 1992 with a position as professor in "evaluating medical actions" at the University of Amsterdam. In the Health Council she chaired the committees on immunisation, genetics and medical ethics. Borst held several other positions in the medical world: she was chairperson of the College for Blood Transfusion as well as of the Committee on Research in Medical Ethics. In 1968 she joined the Democrats 66 , and was active as a rank-and-file member. In 1976 for instance, when the Democrats 66 had lost nearly all its members and performed particularly bad in the polls, Borst was a volunteer in the promotion and revitalization campaign of the party, led by Jan Terlouw.
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