Around 1 in 20 people in the Netherlands are not registered with a GP or are looking for a new doctor, while the majority of practices are not accepting new patients. The doctor shortage is the main reason for this, and it is set to worsen in the coming years.
Almost 200.000 Dutch residents without GPs
Based on a report by the Netherlands Court of Audit, there are 45.000 to 194.000 Dutch residents who are currently not registered with a house doctor. There are also around 732.000 people who do have a doctor but are looking for a new GP for reasons such as moving or dissatisfaction with their current physician.
The struggle that anyone living in the Netherlands will know about is finding a doctor that is accepting new patients - 60 percent of practices are not taking on new registrations. While health insurance providers can help residents find a GP, at the end of 2024, there were nearly 7.000 people on the waiting list.
Doctor shortage in the Netherlands worsens
Even though the Netherlands has more doctors than it has ever before, there is still a shortage. The demand for more extensive care is growing faster than doctors are entering the Dutch healthcare system - this is due to the ageing population.
The heavy workload that this causes, along with doctors having to take on more tasks such as diabetes care or inserting IUDs for birth control, has put a lot of pressure on general practitioners. For this reason, one in four GPs quit their jobs 15 years after receiving their diplomas.
Number of doctors’ practices on the decline
There has also been a drop in the number of practices as fewer doctors have the financial means to start their own facility with the rising housing costs and wage increases for workers. “Practice owners are needed: without practice owners, there are no practices where patients can register,” wrote the Netherlands Court of Audit.
Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Fleur Agema has stated that she aims to increase GP training numbers and make practice ownership more attractive, but has not gone into specifics about how she plans to do this. According to NOS, Agema has mentioned wanting to negotiate with healthcare providers to organise a supplementary care and welfare agreement.
Marjolein Tasche, chair of the National General Practitioners Association (LHV), believes more GPs would start their own practices if they had funding. "The government, health insurers and municipalities can make a significant contribution to this. By providing financial support for the start of a practice, reducing the organisational hassle and providing affordable, suitable housing."