Up to 194.000 Dutch residents left without GP due to doctor shortage
By Simone Jacobs
The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) has raised concerns over the large number of people in the Netherlands who are not registered with a GP. A doctor shortage means the majority of practices are not accepting new patients.
Majority of doctors’ practices in the Netherlands not accepting new patients
Searching for a doctor in the Netherlands can be stressful, especially as 60 percent of GP practices are no longer accepting patient registrations. According to the IGJ, some people with health problems who are trying to get a doctor call practices every week in search of an opening.
Based on estimates, between 45.000 and 194.000 people living in the Netherlands do not have a GP, while nearly 290.000 are looking for a doctor closer to home because they have to drive more than 15 minutes to get to the practice.
Not being able to access a doctor results in fear, uncertainty, frustration and anger among Dutch residents as their illnesses go untreated. Some residents even abandon the search entirely, looking for other solutions online and buying medications themselves, which can be unreliable.
More efforts needed to find doctors for Dutch residents
The doctor shortage in the Netherlands continues to worsen due to the ageing population and heavy workload. With many residents not having GPs, hospitals and emergency services are strained as health conditions become worse and lead to emergency situations. This is why the inspectorate finds it important to search for more solutions to improve the situation.
According to the IGJ, GPs, health insurers, patient organisations, and municipalities should work together on regional solutions, such as exchanging patients in other regions when a resident moves to a new area and is without a doctor. Other suggestions include providing more support in the search for a GP and informing people about the role of health insurers in this, as well as making agreements on where patients can go for ad hoc medical assessments and care while they are without a registered GP.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more