The Municipal Public Health Service in the Netherlands is called the GGD, which stands for Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst. There are 25 GGD regions, that largely correspond to the safety regions in the Netherlands.
What does the GGD do?
The goal of the GGD is to monitor, protect and promote people’s health, paying extra attention to risk groups. If you live in the Netherlands, chances are high that you will come into contact with the GGD at some point, as they have many tasks when it comes to national and local healthcare.
Statutory tasks of the GGD include:
- Children’s healthcare
- Population studies
- Epidemiology
- Health education
- Public mental healthcare
- Infectious disease control
- Tuberculosis testing
- Environmental medicine
- Travel vaccinations
- STI testing
Vaccinations in the Netherlands
You can go to the GGD for many different vaccinations, including the national vaccination programme, vaccinations for travel, vaccinations against COVID-19 and vaccinations for your study or work.
National vaccination programme (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
The Netherlands has a national vaccination programme (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma) that aims to protect the country’s population against a number of dangerous infectious diseases through vaccination. The JGZ (Jeugdgezondheidszorg), which is part of the GGD, is responsible for the implementation of this national vaccination programme.
This programme includes vaccination against the following 12 diseases:
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis B
- Hib disease
- Human Papillomavirus
- Measles
- Meningococcal disease
- Mumps
- Pneumococcal disease
- Polio
- Rubella
- Tetanus
- Whooping cough
Travel vaccinations
GGD Reisvaccinaties offers personal travel advice and provides information about vaccinations, illnesses, and travelling with medical problems, so you can go on your trip prepared. You can use this website to find out if you need any vaccinations to visit your destination. You can also make an appointment to receive advice that is tailored to your specific situation. During this appointment, you will immediately receive any vaccinations you may need.
If you are travelling for fewer than three months, it’s a good idea to get your vaccinations four weeks before you travel. If you are travelling for more than three months, you should get your vaccinations six weeks before you travel. Please note that your GGD may be quite busy around national holidays and school vacations, so it’s always wise to check their website to see if you may need to book an appointment sooner.
Please note that you will have to pay for the appointment and the vaccinations you receive, but if you have Dutch health insurance, (part of) the costs may be reimbursed.
Travel vaccinations against the following diseases are, generally, available at the GGD:
- Mumps, measles and rubella
- Typhoid fever
- Diphtheria, tetanus and polio
- Whooping cough
- Yellow fever
- Hib disease
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Japanese encephalitis
- Meningococcal disease
- Rabies
- Tick-borne encephalitis
Vaccinations for study or work
In some jobs, you have an increased risk of contracting an infectious disease, for example, if you work in healthcare or if you work with animals. If you have a job like that, the GGD can vaccinate you against various infectious diseases. Often your employer will pay for the necessary vaccinations.
If you are a healthcare student or intern, you can make an individual appointment for a vaccination, but you may also be able to get one through your educational institution.