The Dutch 'Huisart' System

'Huisart' in Dutch refers to a GP.. Or sometimes, we know them as family doctors. Generally, the group of medical practitioners that you go to when you have health issues, big or small. If it's a big issue, then your 'huisart' will refer you to the hospital for treatment. And these 'huisart's, they only see you if you are subscribed to insurance, so that would indicate that there's a proper system for it.

Medisch Centrum Zwaaij - Photo Courtesy of Google Maps

In Malaysia, when I was feeling under the weather and needed medication, I would drive to the trusty Mediviron Clinic in Paramount PJ. I would show the nurse on duty my medical card (I was insured by my employer so I need not pay) and wait in line to see the doctor on duty. Sure, there were issues when it came to Mediviron Clinic. The line is never ending and I always catch the nurses slipping 'paying' guests in front of me. However quirky the issue was when I visited my GP in Malaysia, it cannot compare to what I've come to experience here in Netherlands.

Jimmy came home from work in a bad state on Thursday evening. I believe he went through some work aggravation, but I digress.. Anyways, he spent all night coughing and keeping us both awake. We got concerned because he has been coughing since 6 weeks ago when he came back from our vacation in Malaysia.

So on Friday morning, he called in sick to work and called to make an appointment with a GP near to where we are staying - the Westerman Huisart. The administrative personnel told him that he has to go back to the huisart that he has been seeing previously, the Boscha Huisart, but Jimmy explained to the administrative personnel/receptionist that he has been trying to make an appointment with Boscha Huisart but keeps getting rejected for because, according to the Boscha Huisart Receptionist, his coughing is not serious enough to warrant an appointment, and he should instead drink more water, sleep more and try some over-the-counter medication. He further explained to the Westerman Huisart Receptionist that he has tried all that and after so many weeks his coughing still persists, but still they denied him appointment with the doctor and he is getting a bit freaked because all the coughing is giving him sleepless nights and he is getting blood in his spit.

The Westerman Huisart Receptionist then told him that it is a lot of work that he is asking to see another GP(wtf?!) but finally relented and gave him an appointment at 2:20pm. So we headed over at 2:10pm but we could not find the location of the Huisart. The GPS brought us to a few different locations in Cambuur but we still could not for the life of us, find the clinic! We tried calling the receptionist again to clarify but got a voice recording saying that it's past working hours.

Then Jimmy went to the Boscha Huisart building to inquire about the Westerman Huisart and found out both practices are sharing the same building, together with about 6 other practices! So we hurried to the Westerman Huisart Reception and explained to her the situation and apologized for our tardiness. The Westerman Receptionist told us that she made an appointment for Jimmy with Boscha Huisart because it would be better that he has a medical record in the same practice. We thanked her and went back to the 1st Floor of the same building to see the Boscha Huisart. The Boscha Huisart receptionist told Jimmy that he does not have an appointment in her records and the doctor is fully booked. She told him to go back to the 2nd Floor to see the Westerman Huisart since he has made an appointment there. So, Jimmy, with his temper mounting, went back up to 2nd Floor to speak to the Westerman Huisart Receptionist again and this time, the receptionist just casually told him that she is busy, it is past his appointment time and he should make another appointment via phone for another day! (mind you, she was reading a book when he approached her)

Woohoo!! Talk about being kicked around like a ball!!! A sick coughing ball at that!

Naturally, my dear husband erupted like a volcano and told the Westerman Receptionist off, aggravating his already aggravated cough. He stormed to the Boscha Huisart Receptionist and told her what happened and she simply told him that the doctor's occupied and she'll have make him an appointment for Monday morning.

If this was a life and death situation, I think the ghost of my dear husband would be tormenting the Westerman Huisart Receptionist as I write this.

But on a serious note, why do the GP's take the health issues of the residents of Netherlands so lightly? I mean, this is a beautifully developed country but the house doctor system is skewed towards Primitive! (please note my emphasis on the P)

I know that the hospitals here have excellent service record but just because it is not what they deem is an emergency, that does not mean that it should be dismissed with the wave of a hand.

It is at times like this, I wish for the Mediviron Clinic.. At least it would be a fruitful wait and the doctor-on-duty would be able to give us peace of mind and tell us straight off whether he has a throat infection and what we can do to make it better.

I heard from Jimmy that his colleague's father has been diagnosed with 4th stage cancer because it was detected late. Apparently he has been to see the Huisarts so many times to treat the symptoms and they keep playing it down and telling him that it's not an emergency and that it will go away. Now, he been told he's only got 3 months left and it is too late for treatment...

It is just so easy to dismiss a person when that person is of no importance to you, but I guess it has never occurred to these Huisarts that these people have families too, and they mean the world to someone else out there...

Update (8th May 2012) : Jimmy's finally seen the doctor at the Boscha Huisart group yesterday and the doctor's confirmed that he indeed, has an inflamed and infected throat, that has been making him feverish, and has been given a strong dose of antibiotics to curb and ease the inflammation. Jeeez...