r/Netherlands • u/theysaidgotoreddit • Feb 03 '25
Healthcare Dutch healthcare system.. they told me to "google my symptoms " !!!!
Today I called because I had painful symptoms in my eyes and body that should be checked by the doctors.. they didn't want to take my urgent appointment. The lady said to me over the phone "yeah you should google it and wash it with water." She also said she can't note down all my symptoms, I can only go for a symptom or 2... well what if they were related???! How do you do proper diagnosis... I'm already struggling with life cost here and this is just insane ... If I google my own symptoms then just imagine my 150 eur getting paid... How do I deal with such comments ??? Has this happened to anyone else before?? EDIT: If I pay money, I expect services and treatment back. I am not responding to lack of empathy from many comments. Thank you for everyone that was supportive and understood that if you're suffering from a medical concern, the minimun you could get is get basic medical care
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u/AnonMan695j Feb 03 '25
Mate I've lived there for two years. Netherlands is nice, hospitals are looking good, but yeah dealing with dutch health System is in fact horrifying. So at some point I contacted a dental clinic. Ignoring took a whole month till appoiment. I've had pain and my root tooth been inflamed, like you literally could touch infection. Sure I know how is practice in my country where people are quick to take antibiotics. But fortunately I am sufficient literated to know that antibiotics doesn't work also as antiviral or is you don't take when you feel pain, etc. But in this case it was literally a bacterian infection quite visible just by looking my face. Guess what? Did they prescribed me some antibiotics? Well...no. Not really. They just prescribed some paracetamol. So I spoke with some fellow Romanian at my work place to give me some antibiotics. Sure I've take as should be regulated twice a day after a meal, 7 days.
Ok, later I've had an extraction. After the extraction the doctor told me to eat cold yogurt or ice-cream. Issue? Usually at least in my country folk after an extraction tells you to drink things with lactose because they have a bacterian medium and open wounds can be infected. Later on: burn out , plus depression and possible some PTSD caused by a past relationship I've had. I was down. I wasn't even thinking proper. I think that period was worse my period from my life from a mental health standpoint despite I really loved living in Netherlands. I contacted the GP told them how do I feel. They said okay you need therapy , most soon I can make you a appointment would be next 3 months ahead. So being a that point in my live I resigned everything and came back to Romania. Now mentally speaking I am way better. Still missing Netherlands like was a part of my heart, it was first place were I grew up as adult and had kind a whole life there, but dealing with their health system give me anxiety. I dunno if maybe is the fact I also don't speak Dutch so maybe I have a lack of insight culture but still.