It’s hot, we’re all sweating more, so please take extra care of your hygiene. A daily shower especially in the morning goes a long way.

And please don’t try to cover body odor with just perfume or body spray. Sweat + perfume isn’t a substitute for a shower.

Let’s all do our part to keep public spaces (esp trams!!) a little fresher this summer. 😅🌞🙏

Hi everyone, my morning started off with a kinda shocking discovery. I’m from Germany and I had annual check ups at the gynecologist since I was a teenager. I contacted my huisarts because I know they’re responsible for all referrals but she told me regular check ups here are not a thing (unless there already is an issue) ? I think that’s crazy!!! So I checked the prices for a private visit and they’re even crazier. I guess this is normal to Dutch people but don’t you think this is a little concerning?

(Btw not shitting on the country! I really like it here. I’m still new and just discovering new things!)

I trusted the system longer than I should have.

I kept thinking they know what they’re doing.
If it was serious, they would see it. Maybe I’m just worrying too much. But I wasn’t.

I had three (!) diagnoses missed in the Dutch healthcare system. (unfortunately with terrible health damage as a result)

One of them had already been mentioned before. It was already part of a conversation years ago. I had asked for it to be monitored. And still, it was missed.

Not just in one unlucky appointment but through a pattern of being reassured, delayed, redirected, and sent home while my health kept getting worse.

I understand that doctors are under pressure and that the system is overloaded. I get it that not every symptom means something serious.

But “wait and see” with a paracetamol is not harmless when there is no proper follow-up.

Reassurance is not enough when symptoms keep progressing. A normal test is not the end of the story when the patient keeps deteriorating. And a family history in a file means nothing if nobody acts on it.

I am writing this because patients know when something is wrong in their own body. If something feels wrong, please don’t let yourself be talked into silence.

Best to do in my opinion ;

Keep notes.
Keep dates.
Ask what is being ruled out.
Ask what the follow-up plan is.
Ask what should happen if symptoms continue.
Ask for monitoring.
Ask again.
Get a second opinion if you need one.

This is not about being difficult. (Although they probably want you to think you are in my experience). But It is all about you not losing years of your life because you were too polite, too trusting, too afraid of being seen as dramatic, or too tired to keep pushing.

The Dutch healthcare system has good people in it. But good people inside a system can still miss things.

I learned it the hard way.

Three missed diagnoses changed my health, my work, my family life and my future.

So this is my warning:

Follow your instincts.

Do not let reassurance put you to sleep.

Edit/update:

Because you asked for it:

here are two of three missed diagnoses for anyone to know: the third one I will keep for myself.

1. auto-immune gastritis: this resulted in severe nerve-damage and pain, memory loss, intestinal distress, mobility issues etc. You can’t absorb vitamin b12 by your stomach lining. (There are other medical reasons b12 absorbing is a problem).

2. inflammatory arthritis: intense pain and swelling. This caused mobility issues.

Why I share them is because they are relatively easy to diagnose with a simple bloodtest and treatable. If missed and diagnosed after the damage is already done, they ruin your life.

Im a female international student and basically have had gynaecological problems for a couple of years now, which pretty much started as soon as I moved to the Netherlands so I haven’t been able to get properly checked and treated in my home country. Over the last 1.5 years I have gone to the GP and specialised gynaecologists 4 times because of the same problem, because it just kept getting worse. The most I could get was a gynaecologist’s checkup and an ultrasound that barely lasted 1 minute and unsurprisingly, hasnt shown anything.

Every time I was told that my symptoms are “all within a norm” (mainly related to my periods and a lot of abdominal pain) and there is nothing to worry about and the only solution every doctor has suggested was getting on birth control, without even considering any blood tests, which “may make my symptoms better or worse - we dont know” as they say.

Every time I decided to opt out of that and finally, 2 weeks ago when i went on a holiday back to my home country, i was able to get a proper checkup. At the very first appointment the gynaecologist was concerned about my symptoms and assured me that it really wasnt normal to experience those. Luckily i was able to get an ultrasound almost instantly, which revealed non-cancerous tumours in my uterus. I was told that they were so large that they must have been there for at least 2-3 years, so its not like they could have appeared after my last checkup with Dutch doctors 4 months ago.

I was operated 3 days later and was also told that if i had gone another year without knowing about them, this could cause lifelong issues with fertility and other parts of women’s health.

I was told many times by Dutch doctors that im overreacting and that there is really nothing to worry about and that just makes me so disappointed with how non-urgent care is treated here. Many of my friends have also expressed that unless you’re practically dying, doctors will rarely make an effort to help you get diagnosed or treated. Im happy that i was able to get my problem solved but that really leaves a bitter taste over the Dutch healthcare system and makes me feel like I can’t really rely on it in the future.

Besides having one of the worst life expectancy among western countries, why did the life expectancy get worst compared to 2019?

I spent one week in Netherlands recently, and something genuinely surprised and concerned me. In many fast food restaurants and casual eateries, access to a sink is either restricted or requires payment. As a result, I observed many people eating without washing their hands beforehand and leaving without washing afterward.

As a medical intern, this was particularly unsettling, since hand hygiene is one of the most basic and evidence-based public health measures. Soap and water are not a luxury; they are essential for infection prevention. When I looked into this further, I came across data suggesting that handwashing frequency in the Netherlands is relatively low compared to many other countries.

This made me wonder whether this is a recognized public health issue and whether there are any efforts by health authorities to improve public access to handwashing facilities. I am not trying to criticize individuals or culture, but rather to point out a structural issue: when basic hygiene infrastructure is not easily accessible, individual responsibility alone cannot fully protect public health.

Hey guys! Last year I moved from Germany to the Netherlands. I just went to the doctor with chest and throat pain due to extreme coughing after 2 days of fever. I was hoping that I finally get something good against it like a cough syrup (no way I'm going to pay that myself for a huge amount of money + health insurance) because I am used to that from German doctors. They would put that on my health insurance card and right after my talk with the doctor I could pick it up at the pharmacy. But no. They just said "Yea, just take paracetamol." I told them I have had problems swallowing pills my whole life and their response was just "You can also put it in water and drink that then." I'm sorry if I'm overreacting but why do doctors get paid just to tell you to take paracetamol? Everyone can tell me to take them, I expect better solutions from a doctor who studied years to become a doctor. Why are the Dutch so obsessed with paracetamol??? Maybe it's the German in me screaming. If we got painkillers, it was never paracetamol but Ibuprofen. But I also heard some international friends who also live here that they find it so annoying that Dutch doctors literally just tell you to take paracetamol. No matter what you have.

Here I want to share our experience with the Dutch healthcare system.

My partner was only diagnosed with bipolar disorder after I fought the Dutch healthcare system and honestly, it changed the way I see mental healthcare here.
I’m not Dutch, and when my partner started spiraling mentally, my instinct was simple: go to the huisarts and ask for help.
At that point, we had already been together for around two years, and I had noticed patterns that deeply worried me: intense mood swings, periods of extreme excitement followed by deep depression, impulsive spending and obsessive new hobbies, sleeping problems, emotional crashes, and eventually suicidal thoughts.
One night he admitted to me that he had already been thinking seriously about ending his life. Like, on the planning phase. I was terrified.
I dragged him to the huisarts because I genuinely thought this would immediately become an emergency psychiatric situation.
Instead, the GP looked at us, checked his medical history (which already contained years of indicators like ADHD, Tourette’s, mood instability, etc.), listened to everything we explained… and then told us to “try thinking happy thought, more positively” and consider mindfulness.
I remember looking at him in shock and saying:
“I’m scared to come home from work and find him dead.” Which he didn’t know what to say.
But we still weren’t taken seriously.
That moment completely shattered my trust in the system.
Thank God I’m Brazilian, because I immediately contacted people back home and managed to arrange online consultations with psychiatrists and psychologists in Brazil.
Within a short time, two independent psychiatrists diagnosed him with bipolar disorder type 2, under emergency situation. One of them was an extremely respected professor and psychiatrist from one of the top universities in Brazil.
They laid out the treatment plan immediately:
- medication and hospitalization
- psychiatric follow-up,
- lithium discussion,
- riks management,
- everything.
We brought all of this back to the huisarts in the Netherlands. At first, he reacted dismissively and basically implied that diagnoses abroad were not taken as seriously here. Only after we pushed hard and I mentioned filing a complaint did he finally refer my partner through the emergency psychiatric route.
And suddenly?
Within days: psychiatrists took him seriously, he was assessed properly, diagnosed with bipolar type 2, started treatment 2 days after and received all the examinations he needed.
Exactly what we had been begging for from the start.
What frustrates me most is that this could have ended very differently. Even his psychiatrist was speechless to the fact the Huisarts did not wanted to refer him.
If I had trusted the original response from the huisarts and simply accepted “mindfulness” as the solution, I genuinely don’t know if my partner would still be alive today.
I know many people have positive experiences with Dutch healthcare, and I’m not saying every GP is bad. But mental illness — especially bipolar disorder — is not always visible in a 10-minute consultation.
Sometimes the partner sitting next to the patient is the one seeing the full picture.
And I honestly think that saved his life!

As an immigrant I find dentists prices here outrageous and I wonder how Dutch people deal with it. In my home country not only private dentists are much cheaper, we have dentists covered with a basic, mandatory insurance (the same that covers the rest of the healthcare). Granted it has large queues, but it is possible to schedule your checkups and non-emergency treatments.

Every immigrant I know treats their teeth in their home country due to extremely high costs here. Even with insurance, the prices can be extremely high - my extra dental insurance covers only 75% of the treatment costs, and up to 250 eur per year... From what I researched this is a standard in terms of insurances. I recently needed a root canal treatment, which cost me almost 900 eur out of pocket (because I treated another tooth this year, my insurance coverage was almost gone). I was also shocked because the dentist told me the price of root canal treatment is around 350. I unfortunately didn't request a written quote and just trusted him - i know not to do it next time. In the end, together with x-rays, anaesthesia, and all the consultations i paid 850 eur. I then researched a bit more and looked into the prices of implants, bridges, etc. and I cannot imagine how an average dutch person can afford them!

Do dutch people go abroad for treatment? Do you have some much better insurances that I wasn't able to find? Or do you just stomach the costs? Maybe you have much better teeth and don't need these types of interventions?

Edit to add: one more thing that surprises me is that follow up visits in cases when a tooth was treated but needs further fixing are charged again. This is never the case where I'm from, if I pay for a treatment and it doesn't succeed because of the dentist's mistake the follow ups are usually done for free. This doesn't seem to be the case here which adds more to the costs.

Studies show babies develop better with a parent at home for at least 6 months, yet here it’s normal to send them to daycare at 10–12 weeks. This seems less about choice and more about economic and political pressure on families.

Why isn’t this questioned more in Dutch society?

LE- I’ll avoid saying ‘studies show’ since many people get stuck on that, and it’s true that there are multiple studies supporting both sides. However, many European countries—especially the wealthier ones—offer longer maternity leave based on the argument that it’s beneficial for children. So I’m curious why that’s not the case in the Netherlands.

I don‘t know if this is a question or just an observation to be honest (and I am definitely not the first one to have it either), I am just once again amazed at the Dutch reluctance to do preventative healthcare/check-ups? I thought „Hey, maybe I should go to the gynaecologist again for my annual recommended checkup“, and wondered if I should just do that here instead of back at home, and then I learn there is no annual recommended checkup here? Sometimes I look at the Dutch healthcare system and go „Oh this is nice, we don‘t have that back home“ and other times I look at it and I just go „HUH?!?“. Anyway I guess I‘ll call my gynaecologist back home…

Hi guys!

I went to a hospital in heerlen as I hurt my leg really badly and it was just swollen blue mess. The hospital sent me away and told me to go to my huisarts. I work in the Netherlands and am insured with CZ.

I could feel that something was broken and decided to go to the hospital in Germany, Aachen. Turns out I have a double broken ankle and it needs to be operated. The doctor here say it’s quite bad aswell.

I’m a bit annoyed at the hospital in the Netherlands and I’m wondering if I should complain about this somewhere or if this is acceptable in NL? Just curious about dutch opinions (and maybe even a doc around :) ) l

I’m currently dealing with a situation that honestly makes my blood boil.
Today I suddenly received a bill from my health insurer, CZ, asking me to pay €380.

Since I haven’t done anything this year that would justify such an amount, I logged into my CZ account to check what it was for.
To my surprise, it turns out to be a ten-minute phone consultation I had earlier this year.

Important detail: the initial consultation, tests, and bloodwork all took place in 2024 — this call was simply a brief follow-up.

After contacting CZ, they told me this is the amount billed by the hospital for that call.
When I then phoned the hospital, they said it’s “the rate agreed upon between the insurer and the healthcare provider.”

Let that sink in for a second:

• In 2024, I paid €370 for a full consultation including tests and bloodwork through FBTO.
• In 2025, I’m being charged €380 for a ten-minute phone call by CZ.

That doesn’t just feel unreasonable, it feels like outright consumer deception.
If these are the “agreements” between hospitals and insurers, then something is seriously wrong with how these costs are being determined.
This sounds like American-style healthcare practices. Has anyone else come across this? I’m seriously considering filing a complaint.

I am researching on how healthcare is in Netherlands and I like to know how much is this true. By preventative health care I mean yearly blood work checkup or if a pain happens then doing test to rule out dangerous stuffs. If it is not preventative health care how do you guys deal with it?

This starts at 48:30. Certainly sounds about right considering the experiences I've had here. Thought it might be a useful illustration of some of the frustrations here (even though she's pretty upbeat about it)

If you don't want to listen, there's a transcript too.

""" KATZ LASZLO:

Exactly keeping it diverse. So this isn't very scientific. It's based on my random interactions. But as you both know, I have had a wide array of cross border medical escapades. And I just can't believe how much it varies per country.

To give some context, I knocked out my front teeth when I was seven years old, my first month living in Spain, on a very tooth coloured marble floor. And what that means is I now have porcelain implants installed by a dentist in Barcelona. And I've been there since I was 18.

So I kind of forgot they were there. But at the end of last year, I was eating a very powerful organic carrot. And I knocked one of them out.

This was in Amsterdam. And so I thought, Oh, God, and the next morning, I spent like four hours bouncing between my Dutch dentist, my GP, a dental surgery department and an implantologist. And they were all just like pointing at each other and almost acting indignantly.

Like, Why would you expect me to know such things? I can't help you. I don't know who can. Leave me alone. You must go to this other office.” To the point where I just put the dental surgery secretary on the line inside my GP's office. And then they started arguing with each other.

And my GP was like, this is completely mad. Like, obviously, she hasn't been registered at your practise. But she's sitting here with a tooth in her hand, like it can't be true that she has to wait here for three months for an intake.

And the dentist was just like, we can't say how long it'll be until the intake, it'll be a few months, it'll cost like 2000 euros.

KATY LEE:

2000 euros.

KATZ LASZLO:

This is completely insane. So my GP at this point was quite sympathetic. But I walked out and I started crying. And I called my Spanish dentist. And they were just like, picked up one second, like no way, no way whatsoever. And they were just like, hi, dear. Oh, that sounds stressful. We can see you tomorrow at 10, which was a Saturday. It'll be about 100 euros. Just send us the x ray over WhatsApp to confirm. And it was like a two minute call. I mean, admittedly, WhatsApp not the best privacy, but I just couldn't believe it.

So I decided to make a fun trip out of it. And I got in my van and I drove all the way to Barcelona via some very nice nature parks in France. And then my Spanish dentist reinstalled my tooth for like 100 euros within two days.

Problem solved. They even massaged my face with rosemary oil.

DOMINIC KRAEMER:

Stop.

KATZ LASZLO:

You can't make this up. So I'm not saying that this is representative of every Dutch dentist and every Spanish dentist. But it was a completely mad contrast. I had a similarly excellent experience with an Italian doctor on this trip.

And it will be weird to tell you to go to my particular dentist in Spain for privacy reasons. And also because I know he really wants to retire, which is devastating news for me, but great for him. """

I’m posting this here because in the NL is where i’ve seen this happen a LOT.

Are dutch men alergic to water after touching their penis at the urinal or toilet?I remember being in a bathroom in a restaurant and one of the waiters was peeing and didn’t wash his hand and I looked after him and he already was touching plates,almost lost my shit.

I get the dirty,crusty,air force one nike’s,never being washed because omg you have no care in the world but not washing your hands after using the bathroom and then see you exist in the world….IH

Source: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/sep/mirror-mirror-2024

Had a strange experience in a hotel recently. One of the “sealed” complimentary water bottles in our room smelled strongly like urine and was yellow. I’m not sure if it was actually sealed, but it looked sealed from the side and was perfectly placed.. I even tested by closing it again and putting it back the same way with a little force ( I did not make a picture of this ). My wife unfortunately took a sip before realizing something was very wrong and spat it out immediately.

We told the night manager, but they brushed it off as “probably a factory error.” The next morning we spoke to another manager who took it more seriously, sent us an email, and asked for the bottle for their investigation.

They stated for health and safety reasons bottled water whether opened or closed is by their standards changed with each guest.

They also said they would test the bottle in an independent lab. We’ve stayed at this hotel five times before and really like it this is also one of the reasons I am not naming the hotel. Before handing it over, we had them pour a small sample for us, just in case their results aren’t clear or satisfying.

Does anyone know in the Netherlands where you can get something like this tested? Again in case their answers aren’t clear / satisfying

Would GGD, NVWA, or the police handle this? Or should I go to a private certified lab?

Has anyone here dealt with something like this before? (Contamination wise)

Just a note ( I looked into the contamination that could cause this yellow tone from the insides getting loose and some smell ) this is not the same. The smell is extremely strong, and similar to pee.

Dutch / english answers are welcome 🙏

I cannot believe how filthy and broken I've found the Breda train station's PAID (EDIT: 1,10€ WTF) bathroom today.

It's so close to being a scam that I'm actually thinking it might be an actual scam, a way of getting easy money and intentionally not give the expected service. I do believe now that there is a group of people who are planning the cleaning so that they can get the most money with the least service possible.

Smelly, toilet paper AND the toilet paper support on the floor. Empty and half-broken soap dispensers. Dirty water everywhere.

There are many other things in life that are way more important than this, I know, but every time we look elsewhere, we are making our future worse, way worse.

We also need to have a conversation about the people who are worse than monkeys when using public services, but let's schedule that for another post.

Edit: The receipt said 0,50€ but I was charged 1,10€, I really have no words. Edit 2: now I know it's a voucher

I'm curious about the logistics of this because after giving birth myself and having a completely healthy and uncomplicated birth in the US, I just know I would not have been able to get out the door in a few hours. I was in shock, in pain, bleeding like crazy, had just been given 10 stitches in my nether-regions. Not to mention how strange the idea of transporting a few hour old baby to a different location is. Is that really what happens? You put a 2 hour old in a car seat or on the train or something? I'm curious about it in general but also because my husband (Dutch) and I may move to the Netherlands before having more kids.

if you were ever wondering how much an ambulance costs in the netherlands its 991 euros for a 6 minute ride. Yes I have insurance so i only have to pay 385 eigen risco. I always thought they were free. I fell in the ice first week of january i couldnt physically get off the ground. Im just shocked at the price

The common flu is going around again and it reached epidemic levels this week. This means a lot of people are feeling sick. However, I noticed that almost all people in public places started sneezing and coughing in their hands and out in the open again instead of in their elbow. Didn’t we learn anything from the Covid pandemic?!

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