What to do in case of Illness?

If you need a doctor, you should make an appointment by telephone to consult a general practitioner (GP). GP´s have clinic hours during the day. In general you should call between 8.00-10.00 a.m. In urgent cases you can call for an appointment outside these hours. If you are very ill and unable to come to the clinic, you can ask for a "house call".

Prescriptions

Your GP's prescription for medication will be filled at a pharmacy. Most medicines are not available without prescription. This is contrary to the situation in many other countries. It is not possible to get a medical prescription for relatives at home.

Emergencies

For emergencies outside office hours (after 17.00 p.m. and during weekends) you can call the doctor on duty at the "huisartsenpost",  015 - 2511930. The "huisartsenpost" is located near the first aid department of the Reinier de Graaf Hospital.

In case of accident or sudden illness requiring immediate attention, you should dial the emergency number 112.

Dentist

If you need a dentist you can get in contact with:

DentalWays
Beukenlaan 4 N
2612 VC Delft
Tel: 015 2154080

For dental emergencies from Friday 18.00 p.m. - Monday 08.00 a.m. you can contact the dentist on weekend duty by phoning: 015-2134040

Health insurance

It is very important to make sure you have an adequate health insurance policy as medical treatment and medication are expensive. This insurance policy is personal. If you are not properly insured, you will have to pay the expenses yourself. However, health care does not cover all medical expenses. In general it does not cover a routine medical check up and dental care.

There are different kinds of insurances. If you are in the Netherlands for a long time or if you have a job you had to have a "basisverzekering", otherwise you have a short time policy. This information concerns the last.

Payment of bills

General practitioners
Some doctors will expect you to pay immediately after your consultation; others will send you a bill. You can get a refund by sending the bill to your insurance company using a special claim form available from your insurance company. N.B. Higher fees will be charged for consultations and house calls during evenings and weekends. 

Pharmacy
You have to pay for the medication yourself. It'll be refunded by the insurance company after you send them the bill and the special claim form.

Medical specialist, hospital, lab tests and x-rays
They will send you a bill. You'll have to send that bill to your insurance company, using a special claim form. The insurance company will settle the bill directly with the specialist or hospital.
At the end of your stay in the Netherlands you should contact your insurance company when you still have a claim that needs to be settled before you leave the country. You will only have limited time to claim the money via your bank account. This applies to the bills you have received from your GP or the pharmacy.

Summary

• Consult a GP in case of illness, preferably during daytime. Immediate treatment at a hospital is only possible in case of an accident or acute severe illness that needs ambulance transportation to hospital or on referral by your GP
• There is a 24 hours GP service, after clinic hours from 8.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m. for urgent cases.
• Medication is available only on prescription by your doctor, except for a few selected self-care medicines.
• Health insurance is important and personal. Other people are not allowed to be treated on your insurance policy.