The huisarts, pharmacies, insurance, and getting care in Dutch.
Two Dutch healthcare terms cause endless confusion: eigen risico and eigen bijdrage. Here is the difference, the 385 euro figure, and which bills you actually pay.
That folded paper in every Dutch medicine box is the bijsluiter. Here is how it's structured, the sections that matter most, and the vocab to use it safely.
Hoofd, arm, been, rug, buik: the everyday Dutch words for the parts of the body, head to toe, so you can describe yourself, your kids and where it hurts.
Buying glasses at Pearle or Hans Anders means an oogmeting, a sterkte prescription and choosing glazen. Here is the optician Dutch to get the right bril.
Menopause in the Netherlands starts at the huisarts, not a specialist. Here is the Dutch vocabulary for de overgang and what your GP can offer.
After a Dutch birth, a kraamverzorgende comes to your home for days. Here is what kraamzorg is, how insurance covers it, the eigen bijdrage, and when to arrange it.
Koorts, misselijk, duizelig, benauwd: the Dutch words to describe how you feel ill, so your huisarts (and the triage assistant) understands you fast.
When your pet is sick, you need the vet's Dutch fast. Here is how to describe symptoms to a Dutch dierenarts, what a visit costs, and the words that matter most.
On long-term medication? You don't need a doctor's visit each time, you order a herhaalrecept. Here is how repeat prescriptions and the herhaalservice work.
How to get the pill or another contraceptive in the Netherlands: the huisarts route, what the basisverzekering covers, and the under-21 rule.
Referred to a specialist? Here is how a Dutch hospital visit works: the verwijzing from your GP, the polikliniek, and the vocabulary for your appointment.
Dutch maternity care is midwife-led and unlike anywhere else: the verloskundige, the echo, the kraamzorg. Here is how it works and the Dutch to navigate your pregnancy.
Is your Dutch doctor, physio or dentist properly qualified? The BIG register lets you check in seconds. Here is what it is, how to use it, and the vocab.
Your huisarts is the gateway to all Dutch healthcare, so register early. Here is how to inschrijven bij een huisarts, what you need, and the vocabulary.
Struggling and not sure where to turn in NL? Mental health care starts at the huisarts, via the POH-GGZ, then a psycholoog. Here is the route and the Dutch.
Sick at night and your pharmacy is shut? The dienstapotheek handles urgent prescriptions out of hours. Here is how it works, what it costs, and the Dutch you need.
In the Netherlands adult dental care isn't in your basic insurance, a surprise that costs. Here is how the tandarts works, what's covered, and the vocab.
Many Dutch pharmacies now have a 24/7 afhaalkluis: a locker that texts you a code to collect your medicine any time. Here is how it works and the vocab.
Expecting in NL? Here is how Dutch prenatal care works: the verloskundige, the NIPT, and the 13- and 20-week echos, plus what the basic insurance covers.
At the Dutch fysiotherapeut you need to say exactly where and how it hurts. Here is the body-part and pain vocabulary, plus how insurance covers physio.
Dutch dental care isn't in your basic insurance, and big treatments come with a begroting (estimate). Here is how to read the dental quote, the costs, and what's covered.
The GGD is the public health service for things your huisarts does not cover: travel jabs, free soa (STI) testing and sexual-health advice. Here is how it works.
The Dutch Rijksvaccinatieprogramma vaccinates your child for free, on a fixed schedule. Here is what the RVP covers, when, and the Dutch on the invitation letters.
There's no Tylenol in the Netherlands, and the pharmacy isn't where you think. Here is the difference between the apotheek and the drogist, and how to find your meds.
Got a letter inviting you to the bevolkingsonderzoek baarmoederhalskanker? Here is what the Dutch cervical screening is, who gets it, and the zelfafnameset option.
Dutch GPs are famous for prescribing paracetamol for almost everything. Here is why, what it means for expats, and the Dutch to get taken seriously at the huisarts.
Emergency Dutch is the one set of phrases you want automatic before you need them. Here is 112 versus the huisartsenpost, and exactly what to say in a crisis.
'Take paracetamol and come back in two weeks' feels dismissive. Here is how the Dutch huisarts system works, and how to describe a problem so you're taken seriously.
The consultatiebureau is free child healthcare with no equivalent back home, and it runs in Dutch. Here is what it is, how it works, and the Dutch to follow along.
Ill, with a box of Dutch medicine and a leaflet you can't parse? Here is how to read the bijsluiter fast: dosage, side effects, and the words that matter.
The Dutch words for a dental visit, from booking to the chair to the bill, plus what the basic insurance does and does not cover.
Charged for care you thought was insured? That's eigen risico, the Dutch health deductible. Here is what it costs in 2026, what it covers, and what it never touches.
The cleaning aisle is full of Dutch warnings and red diamonds. Here is how to read chloor, bleek, and ammoniak labels, and the one mixing rule that matters.
A food allergy makes eating out abroad stressful. Here is the Dutch to tell a waiter clearly, ask about cross-contamination, and stay safe.