Finding a doctor/GP in the Netherlands can be tricky. In the Netherlands, the GP is your first point of contact, and you need to be registered with a GP before you can make an appointment. Most GP’s will only register you as their patient if you live in the service area of their practice. That is because your GP must be able to reach your home address within 15 minutes in emergencies. As soon as you know where you will be living, you need to register with a GP practice.
You may find a suitable practice by asking other students, checking out the Rietveld/Sandberg FB page, or by using websites like Zorgkaar(opens in a new tab)t or Kiesuwhuisart(opens in a new tab)s. The last two websites are in Dutch but you can find a GP by entering your postal code into the search (zoek) box. You can also use translation tools to help you in the process. You can also just google your postcode + huisarts.
The school has an agreement with Bureau Studentenartsen/student practitioners(opens in a new tab), all Rietveld/Sandberg students can register at this practice without needing to live in the area. Just contact them and let them know you are a student from this school.
Costs
Visiting your GP and the costs involved with this are generally speaking covered by the Dutch basic health care insurance, or by your private insurance. The doctor’s bill can be paid for in three different ways in the Netherlands:
- The doctor sends the bill to your insurer directly. This mostly happens when your insurer made special agreements with the doctor. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the bill yourself.
- The doctor sends the bill to you so you can send it to the insurance company.
- The doctor will charge you directly for the health care provided. You will need to reclaim the costs from the insurer yourself. Always save the receipts or invoice in this case.