How is healthcare organised in the Netherlands?

You are coming to the Netherlands for treatment. This page informs you how health care is organised in the Netherlands and which types of hospitals exist in the Netherlands.

How healthcare is organised

Most of the healthcare available in the Netherlands can be divided into 'primary' care or 'secondary' care. This is the same health care that is subject to the European legislation about which we are informing you via this website.

Primary healthcare: This is care for which everyone can contact a healthcare provider directly. Primary healthcare includes GPs, pharmacists, dentists and obstetricians. GPs play a central role in the healthcare system in the Netherlands: they act like 'gatekeepers' in that they examine patients and determine whether specialist care is necessary. Incidentally, dentists and obstetricians can also refer patients if they feel it is necessary; for example, because they feel that a patient’s situation requires more specialist care. In that case, they give the patient a referral that the patient must hand over to the medical specialist in the hospital.
Secondary healthcare: This is care that is provided by medical specialists in hospitals. Medical specialists treat patients who come to their surgery appointments (out-patient care) and patients who are admitted to hospital (clinical care). Medical specialists are not employed by hospitals, but work there as independent professionals on the basis of a contract. In principle, patients can only see a medical specialist in a hospital if they have a referral from a GP. The only exception to this is the Casualty Department: this does not require a referral.

Will you also need a referral if you are insured in another EU country?

If you want to undergo treatment in the Netherlands on the basis of the European Patients’ Rights Directive (Directive 2011/24/EU), then the rules that apply are those of your own insurance. If you do not need a referral in your own country to visit a medical specialist, then you will not need one if you come to the Netherlands. In that case you can approach the specialist directly. If a referral is mandatory in your own country, then you will also need one for treatment in the Netherlands. If you want treatment from a medical specialist in the Netherlands and your health insurer has given you an S2/E 112 form, then you will still need a referral for this treatment. In this respect, see also our information on the page 'Reimbursement of costs'.

Hospitals

The following types of hospital exist in the Netherlands:

General hospitals: Care in a general hospital is provided within different departments and specialisms, varying from surgical wards to paediatric wards, from laboratories to intensive care. The bigger the hospital, the more specialisms it will have.
Academic hospitals: There are eight academic hospitals (University Medical Centres). Students of medicine train here to become doctors or medical specialists. All the various specialisms can be found in these hospitals.
Specialist hospitals: These hospitals specialise in certain forms of care or they focus on certain categories of patients. Examples are cancer centres, eye hospitals and paediatric hospitals.
Independent treatment centres: These are independent (private) clinics that provide medical specialist care. This may include care that is not reimbursed under the Dutch basic package of healthcare (such as certain forms of cosmetic surgery).

There are no state-owned hospitals in the Netherlands.

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