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Question 1
U bent ziek. Naar wie gaat u eerst?
You are ill. Who do you go to first?
In the Netherlands, when you get ill you go to your GP (huisarts) first. If necessary, the GP refers you to the hospital.
KNS · Topic 1 · 7 questions · about 12 minutes · Free
Health: huisarts, insurance and emergencies
Gezondheid en zorg
In the Netherlands healthcare is built around the family doctor (huisarts). You will learn who to go to and when, how health insurance works and what to do in an emergency.
Explanation
How does the system work?
After moving to the Netherlands you should register with a GP (huisarts) near your home. Do this before you get ill, because some practices don't accept new patients.
When you are ill, you call the huisarts first. On the phone an assistant (doktersassistent) usually asks you a few questions first and decides how urgent your situation is. You need an appointment (afspraak) to see the doctor; turning up without one is usually not possible.
The GP comes first
The huisarts is the 'gatekeeper' of the healthcare system. If you need to see a specialist or go to hospital, the huisarts gives you a referral (verwijzing). If you go without a referral, your insurance may not pay the costs.
You don't pay out of pocket to see the huisarts; this is covered by your insurance. For babies and young children there is also the consultatiebureau: there the child's development is monitored and vaccinations are given.
Health insurance (zorgverzekering)
Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must have health insurance. From the age of 18 you take out your own basic insurance (basisverzekering) and pay a premium every month; children under 18 are added to a parent's insurance free of charge.
The government decides what the basic package covers. If you want, you can also take out supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering). Every year you pay the first part of certain costs yourself; this is called the eigen risico and the amount is set again each year. If your income is low, you can apply for zorgtoeslag.
Going to the right place saves time and avoids unnecessary costs. This table sums up the most common situations.
| Situation | Where to go? |
|---|---|
| You are ill but it's not urgent | de huisarts (make an appointment) |
| An urgent problem in the evening, at night or at the weekend | de huisartsenpost (call first) |
| Life-threatening: loss of consciousness, serious accident | 112 |
| Prescription medicine | de apotheek |
| Painkillers, vitamins, creams | de drogist |
| Toothache, dental check-up | de tandarts |
Useful sentences at the doctor's
These phrases are very useful on the phone and during the consultation.
- Ik wil graag een afspraak maken.I'd like to make an appointment.
- Ik ben al drie dagen ziek.I've been ill for three days.
- Ik heb pijn in mijn buik.I have a pain in my stomach.
- Mijn kind heeft hoge koorts.My child has a high fever.
- Moet ik deze medicijnen elke dag innemen?Do I have to take these medicines every day?
Exam tip
In KNS exam questions about health, the right answer is often 'the huisarts first'. If there is no danger to life, going straight to the hospital is the wrong answer. If it's evening, night or the weekend, choose the huisartsenpost.
112 is only for real emergencies where a life is in danger. If you want to reach the police about something that isn't urgent, you call 0900-8844.
Different from what you may be used to
In many countries, Turkey among them, people go straight to the hospital or the emergency room when they get ill. In the Netherlands the hospital emergency department (Spoedeisende Hulp, SEH for short) is only for real emergencies and referred patients.
Medicines such as antibiotics are not given without a prescription, and doctors don't prescribe antibiotics unless they are really needed. For adults most dental treatment is not in the basic package; if you don't have supplementary insurance, you pay the bill yourself.
Words you need
- de huisartsGP, family doctor
- de zorgverzekeringhealth insurance
- de apotheekpharmacy
- het receptprescription
- de afspraakappointment
- het ziekenhuishospital
- de verwijzingreferral
- de tandartsdentist
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