Posts tagged Health from the Learn Dutch For Expats team.
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.
No doctor's note, no telling your boss what is wrong: Dutch sick leave has its own rules. Here is how to ziekmelden and what your employer may ask.
A food allergy in a foreign language is scary. Dutch restaurants must tell you about 14 allergens, if you ask right. Here is the vocab to order safely.
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.
Bedbugs in a rental are stressful and a vocabulary minefield. Here is who's responsible for bestrijding, how to report it to your landlord, and the Dutch you need.
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.
In Dutch you do not say you ARE cold or hungry, you HAVE it. Here is why ik heb het koud and ik heb honger are right, and ik ben koud is wrong.
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.
Moving from the Netherlands to Flanders? Belgium has no zorgverzekering, you join a mutualiteit. Here is how the Belgian health system works and the Dutch you need.
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.
Had a baby in NL? You must register the birth (aangifte van geboorte) at the gemeente within 3 days. Here is the process, the deadline and the Dutch you need.
Blij, boos, verdrietig, bang: the Dutch words for emotions, plus how to say how you feel and ask others, in a culture that values being direct.
Off sick and sent to the bedrijfsarts? The company doctor is not your employer's spy. Here is what they may and may not share, and your rights under Dutch sick-leave law.
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.
Every December the Dutch can switch health insurers, and many save hundreds. Here is how the overstap window works, the deadlines, and the vocab to switch.
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.
Dutch health insurance is mandatory and full of jargon: basisverzekering, eigen risico, aanvullend, zorgtoeslag. Here is the plain-English glossary that demystifies it.
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.
Dutch sick leave runs through the bedrijfsarts, not your GP, and a strict legal timeline. Here is what expats must know, and the phrases to protect your rights.
Burnout (overspannen) is recognised sick leave in the Netherlands, with real rights. Here is the Dutch and the process for taking stress leave the right way.
A wasp nest, mice, or a rat in the garden means a call to the gemeente or your landlord, in Dutch. Here are the phrases and the rules on who actually pays.
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.