Hospitals in the Netherlands

By Abi CarterUpdated on Oct 28, 2025

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The Netherlands has a large number of modern and well-equipped hospitals (Ziekenhuizen) offering quality medical care. Whether you’re in need of emergency treatment, have an appointment and want to know what to expect, or are planning to visit a friend or relative receiving care, our guide to hospitals in the Netherlands explains everything you need to know.

Types of hospitals in the Netherlands

As in other areas of the healthcare system in the Netherlands, hospital care is primarily provided by privately-run, non-profit foundations.

In theory, anyone could visit any of these hospitals (with the appropriate referral), meaning that in the Netherlands there are no “public” and “private” hospitals that cater to different patients, as in some other countries around the world.

This has been the case since 2006, when the government scrapped the separate public and private health insurance systems and introduced compulsory basic health insurance.

Rather than public/private hospitals, the Netherlands has three different types of hospitals, generally speaking. They are:

General hospitals
Academic hospitals
Teaching hospitals

General hospitals

General hospitals provide good-quality, standard healthcare for less specialised problems. If a patient at a general hospital needs specialist care, they will be referred on to a different hospital.

Academic hospitals

Academic hospitals are associated with major Dutch universities and are generally the largest hospitals. There are eight academic hospitals in the Netherlands, all of which have a variety of researchers and specialists working in them.

As well as supporting medical research, academic hospitals also provide more specialist care. For instance, most children’s hospitals in the Netherlands are housed inside academic hospitals.

Teaching (“top-clinical”) hospitals

Teaching or top-clinical (topklinische) hospitals are also directly connected to the medical faculties at major Dutch universities. They sit somewhere between academic and general hospitals, offering specialised treatments and learning opportunities for trainee doctors and nurses.

Indeed, most nurses and doctors in the Netherlands complete part or all of their training at a variety of teaching hospitals. You therefore might find that a trainee sits in on your treatment at a teaching hospital.

Can you choose your own hospital?

In general, yes you can choose the hospital where you wish to receive treatment. However, depending on your condition, your doctor may recommend a specific hospital - for instance based on the clinic’s specialism.

Find your closest hospital in the Netherlands

You typically need a referral to go to a hospital in the Netherlands (see below), but for the purposes of information, you can find your closest hospital by:

Checking the HollandZorg Care Finder (in Dutch) by searching “Ziekenhuis” and your location
Speaking with your regular doctor
Contacting your health insurer
How to get hospital treatment in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, there are only two ways to receive hospital treatment:

Via the accident and emergency room (for emergencies only)
With a referral from a healthcare professional (for more routine matters)

Emergency treatment in the Netherlands

If you have a medical emergency in the Netherlands, you should:

Call your GP in the first instance
Call the Huisartsenpost if your regular doctor is not available
Call 112 in the case of life-threatening emergencies or other situations

Any of the above options can call you an ambulance to take you to hospital if it is deemed necessary.

You can attend the accident and emergency area of a hospital (known as spoedeisende hulp or eerste hulp afdeling) without a referral, but the cost of the visit will fall within your mandatory excess (eigen risico). You will only be reimbursed by your health insurance for any costs that exceed the excess.

Either way, when you arrive at the hospital, you should report to the front desk.

Visiting a Dutch hospital if you have a referral or appointment

Unless it’s an emergency, you’ll need a referral from your GP or treating physician to get treatment in a Dutch hospital. Once the hospital receives the referral, they’ll contact you to schedule an appointment.

If you need to change your appointment, you should contact the relevant hospital department directly.

On the day of your appointment, you should arrive with plenty of time to spare. If it’s your first appointment at the hospital, you will need to register when you arrive. You can do this at a registration desk (usually just inside the hospital entrance or at the front desk). You’ll need to provide your:

Name
Address
Health insurance details
GP’s name
Proof of identity (such as a passport or driving licence)
GP referral

All of this information is recorded in the hospital’s system and in a small plastic card (ponsplaatje or electronische patiëntenpas) that acts like a passport for your hospital visit. It contains your medical history and care details so that they can be shared among your medical team and sent to your insurance provider. You should bring this card to all of your hospital appointments.

Once you’re registered, you can follow the signs for “Poliklinieken” (outpatient clinics) and the correct department.

Your initial appointment is likely to be short (maybe as little as five to 10 minutes), as the doctor assesses your condition and determines whether further diagnosis and/or treatment is needed. After the appointment you will then either:

Receive a follow-up appointment
Be taken to a different location for tests
Be referred to a different specialist

Staying in Dutch hospital

Dutch hospitals generally prefer outpatient treatment (where you go into the hospital for a procedure and then recuperate at home), but you may need to stay overnight if, for instance, you’ve had surgery or require close monitoring.

If you are coming to the hospital for surgery, your arrival time will be stated in your appointment letter or email. You need to check in once you arrive (your letter will explain where), and you will receive a wristband displaying your name and date of birth. This wristband will be checked, for instance, if you receive medication.

After your surgery or procedure, you’ll be transferred to a ward to rest. Although some hospitals do have private rooms, depending on your condition it’s likely you’ll be in a shared ward with between one and five other patients. Shared wards are almost always mixed-gender in the Netherlands.

The beds are separated by curtains, and each normally has its own private phone and television, although you may be charged to use them.

The hospital will provide bedding, towels and medication, but you should bring your own:

Prescription medications (if applicable)
Nightwear, toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries
Warm socks and/or slippers
Underwear and spare clothes
Glasses or contact lenses

Children’s hospitals

All hospitals have children’s wards and there are also special children’s hospitals, which provide more facilities to keep children entertained while in hospital or to help them with school work during their stay. Some children’s hospitals and wards are able to accommodate parents overnight.

Cost of going to hospital in the Netherlands

Unlike some hospitals in other countries around the world, Dutch hospitals do not charge patients for individual elements of their hospital treatment in an itemised list. Instead, hospital care is paid for through so-called Diagnosis Treatment Combinations (DBC or Diagnose Behandeling Combinatie).

The price is calculated based on the patient’s condition, and the average cost of treating that kind of condition (known as a “care path”). The cost can also be altered by other factors, for instance if the patient requires an extra operation or is discharged early.

Exactly how much you pay as the patient depends on the specifics of your health insurance policy. You may need to cover:

The mandatory excess (eigen risico): Hospital treatments also count towards your deductible.
Your personal contribution (eigene bijdrage): You may need to pay part of the cost of the treatment yourself, depending on the kind of treatment you receive. For this reason, it’s good to check the terms of your health insurance policy before undergoing treatment.

Additional health insurance can often be tailored to cover some of these costs.

Note that you will be asked to cover the cost of your own treatment if you receive hospital tests or treatment without a referral.

Being discharged from hospital

Hospitals in the Netherlands prefer to discharge patients as quickly as possible, believing that they will recover better at home, if their condition makes it possible.

Your doctor or medical team will determine when you are ready to be discharged and make the necessary arrangements. You might also be connected with a discharge liaison nurse, whose job is to manage your discharge and coordinate any aftercare you may require. If needed, you might be transported home in an ambulance, otherwise you will need to arrange your own transport. Your insurance company may reimburse the cost of taking a taxi home.

The hospital will also inform your GP of your discharge and arrange any follow-up care as required. You might be asked to come back for check-ups in an outpatient clinic.

Visiting someone in hospital in the Netherlands

Hospitals in the Netherlands generally set their own visiting hours, and it’s not uncommon for visiting hours to even vary from department to department within the same hospital. It’s therefore a good idea to check with the relevant department before planning a visit.

If you’re in hospital and someone travelling from abroad wishes to visit you, there may be options for them to be provided with family accommodation.

List of hospitals per Dutch city

As of 2025, the Netherlands has 98 general hospitals, eight academic hospitals, seven children’s hospitals, and 137 outpatient clinics, according to the RIVM. These are managed by 69 hospital organisations. They range from the Erasmus University Medical Centre, the largest hospital in the Netherlands, to the ultra-specialised Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.

Here is a list of hospitals per city all over the Netherlands: