Emergency rooms and care in the Netherlands: what to expect (2024)

FAQs

Can you go to emergency room in Netherlands? ›

Urgent medical care

The GP's office is only available during working hours. Outside working hours you can contact an urgent care centre (in Dutch: huisartsenpost). For urgent medical care, such as a dislocated shoulder, you can also directly go straight to a hospital's emergency room (ER) (in Dutch: spoedeisende hulp).

Going to an emergency room in the Netherlands as a resident of the country is typically covered by your health insurance. However, you will first have to pay your eigen risico (excess), and then your health insurance will cover the rest. If you're a tourist or a non-resident, you must pay healthcare costs yourself.

You should call 112 for urgent assistance in life-threatening situations or if you witness a crime.

Quick facts on the healthcare system in the Netherlands

Type of healthcare: Universal (with mandatory private insurance) Average cost of an emergency room visit: € 256 (£235, US$300, AU$380) Average cost of a doctor's visit: € 47 (£40, USD$55, AU$70) Number of pharmacies: 1,975.

In the Netherlands you have a right to health care, even if you do don't have a residence permit, therefore you may certainly make an appointment to see a doctor. Every doctor has a legal duty to treat you, regardless of whether or not you are 'legally' in the Netherlands and regardless whether you are insured or not.

Emergencies. If an accident or life-threatening medical problem occurs on the road, get to a hospital. In the European Union, for serious conditions (stroke, heart attack, bad car accident), summon an ambulance by calling 112, the universal emergency number for ambulance, fire department, or police.

American tourists are reminded medical services aren't provided free of charge, as the Dutch National Health Service does not cover visitors to the Netherlands. It is therefore recommended to obtain an estimate of the cost involved before receiving services.

If You Get Sick -- If a medical emergency arises, your hotel staff can usually put you in touch with a reliable doctor. If not, contact the Central Doctors Service (tel. 020/592-3434; www.centraldoctors.nl) or go to the emergency room at one of the local hospitals.

Unlike the United States, in which the services are largely orchestrated by consumers, if at all, and many patients have access to specialists directly, the Dutch system is firmly grounded in the primacy of primary care: family doctors are the point of entry and source of continuing care for most of the population.

112. In case of a life-threatening situation, or in case in case of an acute criminal situation, you can call 112, the Dutch emergency phone number, from anywhere in the Netherlands. You can call 112 in case of emergency, so when your own or someone else's life is in direct danger, or when you are witnessing a crime.

How much does an ambulance cost in the Netherlands? ›

Check the terms of your insurance policy or contact your health insurer for information. Be aware that without insurance, the ambulance will cost you around €400. Most of the time, your insurance will cover the cost of emergency after your deductible (eigen risico) has been used.

In emergency situations always call 112. For non-emergencies, call 0900 8844. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, for non-emergencies you can call a text equivalent via 0900 1844.

In 2022, the average waiting time for outpatient healthcare consults in the Netherlands varied greatly by specialty. For example, for an allergology consultation, patients could expect to wait an average of over nine weeks. On the other hand, the average waiting time for general surgery was roughly 2.6 weeks.

The costs of an ambulance in the Netherlands for people who don't live here and don't pay health insurance is around €700,-. You will only need to pay for this in case you are taken to the hospital. If the ambulance only comes and stabilizes you on the spot but you don't need to be transported, there are no costs.

The total average ICU cost per day (patient-related care + nonpatient-related care) amounted to €1,225 in Germany, €1,472 in Italy, and €1,911 in The Netherlands. Variations in overheads and capital costs might be (partly) caused by differences in the accounting and financing systems.

Hospitals. Most hospitals and health insurers in the Netherlands are privately run, non-profit foundations, whereas most healthcare insurers are non-profit companies.

The Netherlands does not have a single-payer healthcare system. Yet around 99.9% of the population has health coverage. The country's universal healthcare system consists of compulsory basic private insurance, which the government regulates. Basic insurance is mainly funded through payroll taxes and insurance premiums.

Emergency services (including transportation by ambulance) are not free and you will be billed for any services rendered to you. The Netherlands Association of Hospitals has compiled a list of all Dutch hospitals, which can be searched by city.

What should I do in an emergency situation in the Netherlands? Call 112: In life-threatening situations, call the emergency helpline by dialing 112. An ambulance, fire department or police will be dispatched to help you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call a text equivalent via 0800 8112.