A Guide to Hospitals and Clinics in the Netherlands for Expats

Whether you need planned specialist care, diagnostic tests, or find yourself in an emergency situation, knowing how Dutch hospitals operate can make the experience less daunting.

Dutch hospitals provide secondary and tertiary medical care, meaning more specialized services than those offered by your General Practitioner (GP or huisarts). For most non-emergency hospital services, including consultations with specialists in outpatient clinics (poliklinieken), you will need a referral from your GP. This guide will provide an overview of the different types of hospitals and clinics in the Netherlands, the services they offer, how to access care (both planned and emergency), what to expect during a hospital stay, and important considerations regarding costs and health insurance.

Types of Hospitals & Clinics in the Netherlands

The Dutch hospital landscape is diverse, with different types of institutions offering varying levels of care and specialization:

General Hospitals (Algemene Ziekenhuizen – AZ): These are the most common type of hospital, found throughout the country. They provide a wide range of standard specialist medical care (secondary care) for common conditions and procedures. Think of departments like internal medicine, general surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, and maternity care. If a patient requires highly specialized treatment beyond the scope of a general hospital, they will be referred to a more specialized center.
Academic Hospitals (Academische Ziekenhuizen / University Medical Centers – UMCs): There are eight UMCs in the Netherlands, each linked to a major university. These centers are at the forefront of medical care, providing highly specialized (tertiary) care for complex or rare conditions. They are heavily involved in scientific research, developing new treatments, and training future medical specialists. Patients are typically referred to UMCs for complex diagnostics, advanced treatments, or participation in clinical trials.
Top Clinical Teaching Hospitals (Topklinische Ziekenhuizen – STZ Hospitals): These hospitals function at a level between general and academic hospitals. While providing standard hospital care, they also excel in specific areas of highly specialized treatment, patient-oriented research, and advanced training for medical professionals. They often act as referral centers for complex cases from surrounding general hospitals.
Specialized Clinics / Independent Treatment Centers (Zelfstandige Behandelcentra – ZBCs): These are often smaller, specialized facilities focusing on specific medical areas and typically plannable procedures, such as eye surgery (ophthalmology), orthopedic procedures (knee/hip replacements), dermatology, or varicose vein treatments. They can sometimes offer shorter waiting times compared to hospitals for certain procedures. While many are private entities, care is often covered by basic health insurance if you have a valid referral and the clinic is contracted by your insurer.

Understanding these distinctions can help you know what kind of facility you might be referred to depending on your medical needs.

Common Hospital Services & Departments

Dutch hospitals offer a wide array of services, typically organized into different departments:

Outpatient Clinics (Poliklinieken): This is where most non-emergency specialist consultations take place. When you have a referral to see a specialist (like a cardiologist, neurologist, dermatologist, etc.), your appointment will usually be at their polikliniek within the hospital. These visits are for diagnosis, treatment planning, follow-ups, and minor procedures that don’t require an overnight stay.
Inpatient Care (Klinische Zorg): This refers to care that requires admission to the hospital for an overnight stay or longer. This could be for surgery, intensive treatment, monitoring after a serious event, or complex diagnostics.
Emergency Department (Spoedeisende Hulp – SEH / Eerste Hulp): This department handles acute, severe, and potentially life-threatening medical emergencies. Access is typically for urgent cases, either via ambulance (call 112) or sometimes by direct arrival if the situation warrants immediate hospital attention. For urgent issues outside GP hours that are not life-threatening, contacting the huisartsenpost first is usually the correct procedure.
Diagnostic Services: Hospitals house various diagnostic departments, including:
- Radiology (Radiologie): X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds.
- Laboratory (Laboratorium): Blood tests, urine tests, tissue analysis.
- Endoscopy: Internal examinations using cameras (e.g., gastroscopy, colonoscopy).
Specialized Departments: Depending on the hospital’s size and type, you will find numerous specialized departments dedicated to specific medical fields, such as Cardiology (Hartziekten), Oncology (Kankercentrum), Surgery (Chirurgie), Pediatrics (Kindergeneeskunde), Neurology, Gynecology, Orthopedics, and many more.

When visiting a hospital, signs will usually direct you to the relevant department or polikliniek.

Accessing Hospital Care: Planned vs. Emergency

How you access hospital services depends largely on whether your need is planned or an emergency.

Planned Hospital Care (Outpatient & Inpatient)

For non-emergency consultations, tests, or treatments at a hospital, the process typically follows the referral system:

GP Referral: As covered previously, you first visit your GP (huisarts). If they determine hospital-level care is needed, they will issue a referral (verwijzing), often digitally via ZorgDomein.
Appointment: You (or sometimes the hospital) will then schedule an appointment with the relevant specialist or department at the hospital specified or chosen.
Hospital Registration: Especially on your first visit to a particular hospital, you will need to register at the central registration desk (centrale inschrijfbalie or similar). You’ll need to provide your ID, BSN, Dutch health insurance details, and your GP’s information. You may receive a hospital card (patiëntenpas or ponsplaatje) which you should bring to all subsequent appointments at that hospital. This card helps staff quickly access your details and ensures correct billing.
Visiting the Polikliniek: For outpatient appointments, you’ll typically check in at the specific polikliniek reception desk for your specialist shortly before your scheduled time.

Emergency Hospital Care

Accessing emergency care bypasses the standard referral route:

Life-Threatening Emergencies: In a critical or life-threatening situation (e.g., heart attack, severe accident, difficulty breathing), call the national emergency number 112 immediately. An operator will assess the situation and dispatch an ambulance if necessary, which will take you to the most appropriate hospital Emergency Department (SEH).
Acute/Severe Conditions (Direct to SEH): You can also go directly to the SEH for severe, acute conditions that require immediate hospital attention but may not warrant calling 112 (e.g., broken bones, deep cuts needing stitches, sudden severe pain). Be aware that upon arrival, you will be triaged (assessed) to determine the urgency of your condition, and non-critical cases may face waiting times.
Urgent Care (Non-Life-Threatening, Outside GP Hours): If you have an urgent medical issue that cannot wait until your GP practice reopens, but it is not life-threatening, you should first call your local after-hours GP service (huisartsenpost). They provide urgent primary care and telephone advice. Based on their assessment, they might give you advice, ask you to come to their clinic (often located near or at a hospital), or, if necessary, refer you to the hospital’s SEH.

Using the huisartsenpost appropriately for non-life-threatening urgent issues helps keep the SEH available for true emergencies.

Hospital Stays: Practical Information for Patients

If your treatment requires admission for an overnight stay or longer (inpatient care), here’s some practical information about what to expect in a Dutch hospital:

Admission: After the decision for admission is made (either following an SEH visit or planned via your specialist), you will go through an admission process, often involving paperwork and being assigned to a specific ward and room.
Rooms: Be prepared for shared rooms. It’s common in Dutch hospitals for inpatient wards to have rooms shared by several patients (sometimes up to four or six). These rooms may sometimes be mixed-gender, although hospitals try to accommodate preferences where possible. Private rooms are less common for standard insured care and may only be available for medical reasons or potentially at an extra cost (check with the hospital and your insurer).
Facilities: Beds usually have access to basic amenities. There might be a bedside television or phone available, but often usage requires payment. Wi-Fi access may be available, sometimes free, sometimes paid.
What to Bring: Unlike hotel stays, hospitals provide only the basics. You will need to bring your own personal items, including:
- Nightwear (pajamas/nightgown) and comfortable clothing (like a robe or tracksuit).
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.).
- Any personal medications you take regularly (inform the hospital staff).
- Books, magazines, or other personal entertainment.
- Your ID, Dutch health insurance card, and hospital card (patiëntenpas).
- Contact details for family/friends.
Visiting Hours (Bezoektijden): Hospitals have specific visiting hours, which are usually strictly enforced to allow patients rest and facilitate care routines. Check the hospital’s website or the specific ward for current visiting times and any restrictions (e.g., number of visitors per patient).
Children in Hospital: Hospitals typically have dedicated children’s wards (kinderafdeling) with staff specialized in pediatric care. These wards often have facilities to make the stay more comfortable for children, such as playrooms or educational support. Depending on the hospital and the child’s condition, arrangements can sometimes be made for one parent to stay overnight.

Don’t hesitate to ask hospital staff if you have questions about routines, meals, or facilities during your stay.

Costs and Health Insurance for Hospital Care

Understanding how hospital care is paid for in the Netherlands is essential to manage your finances and utilize your health insurance effectively.

Billing System (DBC – Diagnose Behandeling Combinatie): Dutch hospitals don’t typically provide itemized bills listing every single service. Instead, they use a system called Diagnosis Treatment Combination (DBC, or Diagnose Behandeling Combinatie). A DBC represents the entire package of care related to a specific diagnosis and treatment path, from initial consultation to potential surgery and follow-up. Each DBC has an average price negotiated between the hospital and insurers. This means the bill reflects the overall care trajectory rather than individual procedures.
Referral Requirement for Insurance: As stressed before, for planned hospital care (both outpatient and inpatient) to be covered by your basic Dutch health insurance (basisverzekering), you generally need a valid referral from your GP or another authorized referrer.
Mandatory Deductible (Eigen Risico): Nearly all hospital costs covered by the basic insurance – including specialist consultations at the polikliniek, diagnostic tests (like MRIs or blood tests), treatments, and hospital stays – are subject to your annual mandatory deductible (verplicht eigen risico). You pay these costs yourself until you reach the annual deductible limit. Only then does your insurance start covering the rest (for insured services).
Contracted vs. Non-contracted Hospitals: Your insurance policy type significantly impacts coverage, particularly regarding whether the hospital is contracted by your insurer:
- Natura Policy: Full coverage (after deductible) usually only applies at contracted hospitals. Choosing a non-contracted hospital might result in only partial reimbursement (e.g., 65-80% of the cost), leaving you responsible for the remainder.
- Restitutie Policy: Generally offers free choice of hospital with full reimbursement (up to statutory/market rates, after deductible), but comes with higher premiums.
- Always check your insurer’s list of contracted hospitals before planned treatment.
Co-payments (Eigen Bijdrage): For some specific treatments, medications, or medical aids received during or after hospital care, a statutory co-payment might be required, separate from your deductible.
Tourists and Visitors: EU/EEA/Swiss visitors should use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for necessary medical care, including emergencies. Visitors from other countries should ensure they have adequate travel insurance covering medical emergencies, as hospital costs can be substantial without insurance.

Conclusion: Navigating Dutch Hospitals

Dutch hospitals and clinics offer high-quality medical care, ranging from routine procedures in general hospitals to highly specialized treatments in academic centers. The key for expats is understanding the structure: the different types of hospitals, the crucial role of the GP referral for planned, insured care, and the distinct process for accessing emergency services via 112 or the huisartsenpost.

Being prepared with your BSN, ID, and insurance details, understanding the potential for shared rooms during inpatient stays, and being aware of how costs are covered through your insurance (especially the eigen risico and contracted provider rules) will help you navigate hospital visits more smoothly. Always consult your GP for non-emergencies and check with your insurer regarding coverage specifics.

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