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Healthcare in The Netherlands


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I guess I'm coming out of the closet about where I 'live'. With hesitation.

 

Here is something I have written about this healthcare system. Country: The Netherlands, adjective: Dutch, The Dutch

 

Healthcare in The Netherlands

 

A brief outline of healthcare in The Netherlands.

 

Primary care. The GP, ‘general practitioner’ or ‘huisarts’ (‘home doctor’/family doctor).

In theory, one is allowed to choose one’s own doctor. In the real world, a GP has to live close by since he/she has to be able to visit the patient within 15 minutes. Also, in many places there is a shortage of GPs, and often one has to ask permission of the current GP to be allowed to switch to a new GP ! Doctors won’t accept each other’s patients. That this is against the law does not seem to be a problem.

Accessibility of GPs varies, some GPs have their assistents do a triage.

 

Secondary care. The specialists. Almost all work within a hospital as entrepreneurs, usually within a partnership with colleagues in the same specialism. In almost all situations one needs a referral by the GP to see a specialist.

 

Emergency care. This is tricky. For acute life threatening circumstances like heart attacks, one can call the national emergency number. In hospitals there is a First Aid department. Sometimes access to that is blocked by the local cooperative of GPs, one has to see a ‘huisartsenpost’ (cooperative of the local GPs, originally intended for problems that occur during out of office hours) first. Usually, one has to call first and an assistent will decide if you’re worth the doctors’ time. Often, you’re asked to wait till the problem passes, and to take some acetaminophen/paracetamol. How you arrive at the ‘huisartsenpost’ is your own problem.

For many issues where people in other countries would go straight to the ER one is expected to consult the GP first. After all, the GP knows the patient so well and precious time and money won’t be wasted. (the doctor’s time and money, not the patient’s). Even if one has a  bone fracture one is expected to visit the GP first, unless the bone is sticking out !

 

To clarify, there is no dual private/public system. In theory, there is a system of managed competition. In many ways the insurance companies call the shots. Everybody has a mandatory ‘private’  insurance, there are serious financial penalties for not having one. There is no real competition between the various insurance companies, since they all offer approximately the same product, at about the same price. The GPs have collective contracts with these companies, and they are obligated to refer patients as little as possible. This is not such a problem as it may seem, since the traditional Dutch mentality is to refer people only when it is deemed absolutely necessary. Yet, many feel the pressure. In theory, the government supervises the system, but for patients’ rights it is sorely lacking and there is evidence of collusion.

 

The GP. Traditionally, they have a preference for all things natural and often you’ll get lifestyle advice rather than a prescription drug, a referral to a hospital or real diagnostics.

The GPs rely on medical files, and what they can see and hear. Obviously, if they can’t see anything and they have to rely on what the patient tells them and their own thought processes things often go wrong. But it’s not a real problem (for the GPs), they usually cover it up. The only thing that can prevent disasters in case of multiple or uncommon problems, is having a very good relationship with the GP. But most people don’t have that. The origin of the current system is the situation of post WW2, when the housewife was the gatekeeper of the family and her relationship with the GP was important. Of course, medicine could often do little at the time, so waiting till things pass and emphasizing a natural approach was usually the best a doctor could do anyway.

The GP has the role of coordinating all medical care and deciding what a patient needs during his or her lifetime.

 

The medical specialists. They are focused on the organ or disease, not with the patient as a person which is considered the job of the GP. They rely rather heavily on the GP’s referral letters.

The prevailing attitude is ‘evidence based medicine’, if something has not been proven to work they won’t do it.

For a first appointment the specialist will send a card by mail to summon the patient at a designated time and place. The patients will show up anyway, they don’t have a choice unless they go abroad. A lot of traditional Dutch paternalism is still there.

 

Traditionally, the four most common sentences uttered by a GP are ‘I don’t see anything’, ‘it’s mental’, ‘come back in two weeks’, ‘take some paracetamol’.

GPs are expected to handle most non-catastrophic healthcare by themselves. If you have ‘vague complaints’, which doesn’t mean the complaints are not clear (they are!) but it is not clear where/what the problem is, patients are not likely to get a referral. Imagine that, referring a patient to many specialists for all sorts of investigations ! That’s much too expensive and considered a waste of time. Of the doctors … Usually, after some initial investigations they’ll call it ‘medically unexplained’ which is a modern fashion of ‘it’s mental’, ‘it’s psychiatric’.

 

A few links/reviews:

 

https://dutchreview.com/dutchness/the-foreign-perspective/healthcare-in-the-netherlands-2/

 

https://www.cursor.tue.nl/nieuwsartikel/artikel/take-a-paracetamol-getting-sick-in-holland/

 

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Oh now I see. But take this for example. A friend of mine had to go the the ER room. All doctors and beds were filled. So they stuck her on a gurney in the hallway, completely ignored, for 5 hours. Then she got a bill just for this and nothing more~~$29,000 USD. Luckily she had military insurance so they paid for that. Otherwise she would have had to take out a mortgage to pay that bill. This is health care in the U.S. It's normal. :crazy:
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Hi liberty, thanks for posting this.  How does one get referred to a psychiatrist?  I assume this would involve a long process to what is called a specialist?

 

Can GPs prescribe benzodiazaphines and opiates like here in the States?

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dm123,

For a referral to a psychiatrist you need a referral by a GP. This is usually done only for severe psychiatric disorders.  It's really about mental problems, usually they'll want to refer you to a psychologist first. That, you pay out of pocket. Next in line is psychiatry. Typically, for 'biological-psychiatric illnesses'. For severe behavioral and emotional problems. Waiting lists are long.

 

Sometimes it's easier, but you'll need the GPs cooperation. For example, I have been in contact with one member who posted on this board a long time ago. He was also prescribed Rivotril/clonazepam by his GP. He had a simple, uncomplicated relationship with the drug, it helped him with the stress and it was great for sleep.  A higher dose than mine, but for a shorter duration. After some time he started to develop all sorts of health problems. He wasn't sure what caused this. When his wife talked to the GP about the clonazepam possibly causing the problems, the GP responded 'oh, that's just a little benzo'. When the doctor learned of the diazepam equivalent, he was shocked and felt responsible. He got all sorts of investigations and referrals in a short frame of time. He also got one or two referrals to a psychiatrist. Basically, his experience was that the psychiatrists had no clue and just wanted to stuff him with pills.

He had a very good relationship with the GP, as a husband and father of children.

He did lose almost everything, but he managed to get off and is mostly recovered these days. Quite a different experience from mine.

 

GPs can prescribe opiates and benzodiazepines. They tend to be more restrictive about benzodiazepines these days, it's the older ones ... Prescribing of opiates is extremely restrictive. Post operative pain and such, sure. Usually, you won't get more than paracetamol or ibuprofen. Codeine is about the 'best you can get'.

Traditionally, benzodiazepines were prescribed almost readily. Opiates, extremely restrictive. Opiates at the dentist ? Forget about it. Well into the 1970s and 1980s many dentists did root canals without anesthetics/painkillers.

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Hi Liberty, very interesting thread about how these issues are treated in the Netherlands.  I hope that more people will feel motivated to open up about medical systems in their countries.
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Thanks for posting this, Liberty.  I have a particular interest in the "MUS" diagnosis.  Here in the UK we are now pretty certain that this diagnosis is being used to cover up side effects / withdrawal symptoms / damage from psychiatric drugs, antidepressants in particular.  Also neurological functional diagnoses, also used as a cover.  This seems to be a deliberate strategy as the pressure around antidepressants causing harm continues to mount.

 

I have been battling since early 2014 to be diagnosed with PBWS.  I recently consulted privately with a GP in Ireland (outside the UK) and he had no difficulty in diagnosing my condition.  Yet, here in Scotland, I have seen about 7 doctors now and not one has given me an accurate diagnosis.  You can read my letter at the link below in which I have referenced all the other letters I have had published.  We have submitted a petition to the Scottish Parliament highlighting the problems around these "diagnostic labels" well they aren't diagnoses at all, just labels!! It is a scam, pure and simple and psychiatry is behind it. 

 

Here is a recent article on MUS from Dutch researchers.  I responded to it and have responded to others.

 

http://bjgp.org/content/early/2017/08/28/bjgp17X692537/tab-e-letters

 

It is interesting to read your description of how the Dutch health care system works. 

 

Here in the UK, the NHS is in a pretty dire state at the moment due to insufficient funding.  Very difficult to get a GP appointment, difficult to get any sort of treatment, waiting lists etc.  Staffing shortages.  There are thousands of patients where I live who have no GP access now due to practices having closed down.  We can move between practices within limits but this is becoming more difficult as practices close their lists due to staffing problems. We always need a referral to a specialist, either in the NHS or the private sector.  The private sector is quite small in Scotland but bigger in England.  We can go direct to ER or A&E as we call it, but there can be long waits to be seen.  I haven't used it myself so don't really know what it is like nowadays.  There are also out of hours GP services but again there are hurdles to jump to see them.  Most GPs are self-employed, run their own practices, many own their own practices.  Specialists on the other hand are employees of the NHS, as are all hospital doctors of all grades.

 

The NHS in Scotland is quite different from that in England now so it isn't so easy to talk about the UK as a whole.  And it keeps changing so hard to keep up with what is happening.  Not sure what the future holds for healthcare.  NHS continues to be funded directly from taxation and is free at the point of use to all patients. 

 

Fiona  >:(

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I would say that MUS is 'lazy medicine'.

 

There is often the theme that doctors need to explain better; yet the fact is that it's often a matter of listening !

 

I know the UK employs gatekeeping; but it's hard to see why it would be different to get an appointment with a GP ! That just doesn't make any sense. Prevent medicalisation ?

 

At least NICE recognizes a lot about benzodiazepines; here it is medicine's dirty little secret.

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I agree that "MUS" is lazy medicine but now it is more than that.  It is a way of covering up prescription drug damage.  I have been off benzos for over 4 years and have yet to have a meaningful discussion with a doctor about the damage done to me.  I have  been diagnosed with "depression" "chronic fatigue syndrome" "neurological functional symptoms", all are designed to obscure the truth.  You are right that there is plenty of documentary evidence about benzos in this country which makes it all the more astonishing that I cannot find a doctor who will discuss the damage that I have incurred but if I talk to a doctor informally away from the consulting room or outside the NHS, they know perfectly well. 

 

There are staff shortages throughout the NHS, GPs included.  Just lack of funding.

 

 

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dm123,

For a referral to a psychiatrist you need a referral by a GP. This is usually done only for severe psychiatric disorders.  It's really about mental problems, usually they'll want to refer you to a psychologist first. That, you pay out of pocket. Next in line is psychiatry. Typically, for 'biological-psychiatric illnesses'. For severe behavioral and emotional problems. Waiting lists are long.

 

Sometimes it's easier, but you'll need the GPs cooperation. For example, I have been in contact with one member who posted on this board a long time ago. He was also prescribed Rivotril/clonazepam by his GP. He had a simple, uncomplicated relationship with the drug, it helped him with the stress and it was great for sleep.  A higher dose than mine, but for a shorter duration. After some time he started to develop all sorts of health problems. He wasn't sure what caused this. When his wife talked to the GP about the clonazepam possibly causing the problems, the GP responded 'oh, that's just a little benzo'. When the doctor learned of the diazepam equivalent, he was shocked and felt responsible. He got all sorts of investigations and referrals in a short frame of time. He also got one or two referrals to a psychiatrist. Basically, his experience was that the psychiatrists had no clue and just wanted to stuff him with pills.

He had a very good relationship with the GP, as a husband and father of children.

He did lose almost everything, but he managed to get off and is mostly recovered these days. Quite a different experience from mine.

 

GPs can prescribe opiates and benzodiazepines. They tend to be more restrictive about benzodiazepines these days, it's the older ones ... Prescribing of opiates is extremely restrictive. Post operative pain and such, sure. Usually, you won't get more than paracetamol or ibuprofen. Codeine is about the 'best you can get'.

Traditionally, benzodiazepines were prescribed almost readily. Opiates, extremely restrictive. Opiates at the dentist ? Forget about it. Well into the 1970s and 1980s many dentists did root canals without anestethics/painkillers.

 

Thanks for clearing things up.  Your friend is a testament to the destructive capabilities of  benzodiazaphines.  I'm glad he has recovered.

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My health is really messed up. Consequence of interaction between many issues, drugs, untreated issues, incorrrectly treated issues, time passed ... Regular diagnostics for a 'recognized medical condition' would be difficult to say the least ... There have been real, very relevant medical errors besides the clonazepam.

 

It's still a subject of consideration if I'll file charges against the current GP ... he would be judged by his peers ... There is almost no other recourse.

 

The medical community here is very closed. Doctors are very loyal. To their collegues. And obviously, what does a GP know ? 'a little bit of everything'=you know enough to be dangerous.

 

And yet, whatever I do, if I don't recover quickly (which is extremely unlikely, especially without medical help)  ...

 

There is an old story about monkeys/apes. In read or heard about it in the 1990s. There are various versions.

 

I'll pick this one: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/games-primates-play/201203/what-monkeys-can-teach-us-about-human-behavior-facts-fiction

'This is how MM described the experiment in his blog post. "This human behavior of not challenging assumptions reminds me of an experiment psychologists performed years ago. They started with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, they hung a banana on a string with a set of stairs placed under it. Before long, a monkey went to the stairs and started to climb towards the banana. As soon as he started up the stairs, the psychologists sprayed all of the other monkeys with ice cold water. After a while, another monkey made an attempt to obtain the banana.  As soon as his foot touched the stairs, all of the other monkeys were sprayed with ice cold water. It's wasn't long before all of the other monkeys would physically prevent any monkey from climbing the stairs. Now, the psychologists shut off the cold water, removed one monkey from the cage and replaced it with a new one. The new monkey saw the banana and started to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attacked him.  After another attempt and attack, he discovered that if he tried to climb the stairs, he would be assaulted. Next they removed another of the original five monkeys and replaced it with a new one. The newcomer went to the stairs and was attacked. The previous newcomer took part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, they replaced a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey tried to climb the stairs, he was attacked.'

 

A bit about Dutch culture, 'normaal' or 'normal'/'normalcy. There is no word to accurately translate the connotations. This society has changed, but especially in the past being 'normaal' used to be very important. There are some similarities with 'tall poppy syndrome'. It reminds me of the story above. Especially at a very young age I have been at both the receiving end and I did dish it out too.

About healthcare. Traditionally, the GP is supposed to be a beacon of wisdom about health and sickness. Older people are more likely to be in that mindset.

Even doctors amongst themselves ... Dutch literature about benzodiazepines is extremely limited, dismissive and has a tendency to blame the victim. As long as doctors keep repeating what they learned during their education that's not going to change. As long as everyone keeps quiet the official 'truth' about benzodiazepines will be parroted.

About ordinary people. They rely on their 'huisarts', GP. Most people believe in the system and the 'party line'. A question that is not unusual 'what does your huisarts say ?'. If you criticize the system, you may be subject to a beating not unlike the one the monkeys above did get.  Well, usually not physically. After all, other people have to rely on their GP, why can't you ? You have to keep it 'normal'. I know how I thought when I was young, and I damn sure knew what I would have been thinking about my current situation !!!!! Not NORMAL !

 

What I could get with relative ease (?) would be prescriptions for amitryptiline, anticholinergics, possibly antidepressants ... But I'm sick enough already. 

 

Some scary thoughts ...

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My health is really messed up. Consequence of interaction between many issues, drugs, untreated issues, incorrrectly treated issues, time passed ... Regular diagnostics for a 'recognized medical condition' would be difficult to say the least ... There have been real, very relevant medical errors besides the clonazepam.

 

It's still a subject of consideration if I'll file charges against the current GP ... he would be judged by his peers ... There is almost no other recourse.

 

The medical community here is very closed. Doctors are very loyal. To their collegues. And obviously, what does a GP know ? 'a little bit of everything'=you know enough to be dangerous.

 

And yet, whatever I do, if I don't recover quickly (which is extremely unlikely, especially without medical help)  ...

 

There is an old story about monkeys/apes. In read or heard about it in the 1990s. There are various versions.

 

I'll pick this one: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/games-primates-play/201203/what-monkeys-can-teach-us-about-human-behavior-facts-fiction

'This is how MM described the experiment in his blog post. "This human behavior of not challenging assumptions reminds me of an experiment psychologists performed years ago. They started with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, they hung a banana on a string with a set of stairs placed under it. Before long, a monkey went to the stairs and started to climb towards the banana. As soon as he started up the stairs, the psychologists sprayed all of the other monkeys with ice cold water. After a while, another monkey made an attempt to obtain the banana.  As soon as his foot touched the stairs, all of the other monkeys were sprayed with ice cold water. It's wasn't long before all of the other monkeys would physically prevent any monkey from climbing the stairs. Now, the psychologists shut off the cold water, removed one monkey from the cage and replaced it with a new one. The new monkey saw the banana and started to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attacked him.  After another attempt and attack, he discovered that if he tried to climb the stairs, he would be assaulted. Next they removed another of the original five monkeys and replaced it with a new one. The newcomer went to the stairs and was attacked. The previous newcomer took part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, they replaced a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey tried to climb the stairs, he was attacked.'

 

A bit about Dutch culture, 'normaal' or 'normal'/'normalcy. There is no word to accurately translate the connotations. This society has changed, but especially in the past being 'normaal' used to be very important. There are some similarities with 'tall poppy syndrome'. It reminds me of the story above. Especially at a very young age I have been at both the receiving end and I did dish it out too.

About healthcare. Traditionally, the GP is supposed to be a beacon of wisdom about health and sickness. Older people are more likely to be in that mindset.

Even doctors amongst themselves ... Dutch literature about benzodiazepines is extremely limited, dismissive and has a tendency to blame the victim. As long as doctors keep repeating what they learned during their education that's not going to change. As long as everyone keeps quiet the official 'truth' about benzodiazepines will be parroted.

About ordinary people. They rely on their 'huisarts', GP. Most people believe in the system and the 'party line'. A question that is not unusual 'what does your huisarts say ?'. If you criticize the system, you may be subject to a beating not unlike the one the monkeys above did get.  Well, usually not physically. After all, other people have to rely on their GP, why can't youy ? You have to keep it 'normal'. I know how I thought when I was young, and I damn sure knew what I would have been thinking about my current situation !!!!! Not NORMAL !

 

What I could get with relative ease (?) would be prescriptions for amitryptiline, anticholinergics, possibly antidepressants ... But I'm sick enough already. 

 

Some scary thoughts ...

 

Great post.  It reminds me of sociological groupthink, and more.  The actions defy all logic and morals, and yet everyone follows along with the actions of the group.  It leads to a socially and intellectually stagnant and immoral culture....It reminds me of the medical culture  and attitudes towards our beloved benzodiazaphines (sarcasm intended  :-\ )

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Also, medicine has a tendency to be bureaucratic everywhere.

 

A battery of tests for problems that don't have a clear cause ? No, unusual.

 

Multiple, slow, time consuming diagnostic rounds in the hospital, waiting lists.  More or less, one thing at a time. Often, if nothing is found the patient is sent back to the GP. Specialists have some discretion.

'digging deeper' instead of giving a diagnosis of 'medically unexplained' is not uncommon. GPs can ask for further testing.

As I understand, this is not common in the USA ?

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Also, medicine has a tendency to be bureaucratic everywhere.

 

A battery of tests for problems that don't have a clear cause ? No, unusual.

 

Multiple, slow, time consuming diagnostic rounds in the hospital, waiting lists.  More or less, one thing at a time. Often, if nothing is found the patient is sent back to the GP. Specialists have some discretion.

'digging deeper' instead of giving a diagnosis of 'medically unexplained' is not uncommon. GPs can ask for further testing.

As I understand, this is not common in the USA ?

 

Right. If you or your GP need to take a battery if tests, it is usually done by a specialist..or two...or three.

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GP /' huisarts'

 

Common phrases when the GP fails.

 

'Just learn to live with it'

'It’s not so bad'

'Be glad you’re not dead !'

 

Liberty, don't forget: 'Be glad you're not having cancer!'. That's the best one.  :sick:

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Former GP: 'other people are doing worse'.

 

About cancer: maybe it's cruel, but usually you either die or live. With this kind of stuff (and other iatrogenic health problems) you can be in limbo.

 

And honestly, I do think I need to patch up my health somewhat before really being able to come off this drug. Diazepam/Ashton. No. Tranxene: no. It's just the benzo, you're fine' No. not just the benzo, and I'm not fine. I haven't tried Lyrica or something more selective to deal with the unusual properties of this drug ... trying but I feel that's a stretch. The worse I am, the more I 'need' clonazepam.

 

Whatever you may think of American medical liability, it's there. I'd rather have been cold turkey'd 5 years ago than to be going through this.

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Something from a Dutch medical journal. In a way, it's related to medical errors.

 

The link, in Dutch: https://www.medischcontact.nl/nieuws/laatste-nieuws/artikel/sollicitatie-zwarte-lijst.htm

 

You can run it through google translate (make sure you use a version that can translate a URL, and translate from Dutch to English). I considered posting an improved and edited version of that myself, but unfortunately the wording is such that it's really hard to translate it properly. If I'm challenged , that's a lot.

 

Basically, a doctor/specialist works according to the way he has learned to do his job. They listen to what a patient has to say (the referral letter is not mentioned), and there is a certain tendency to act based on that, what is observed in a physical examination. Based on that initial judgement, additional diagnostics (CT, MRI) are considered.

 

A few translated quotes:

'A fraction of the patients asks (or demands) maximum research. If we had boundless budgets, we could satisfy everyone - at least on this point. Now, however, in the circumstance that we should also sell "no" to patients, we reduce our points in the satisfaction index'

 

'Clearly, the means for medical care in the Netherlands are limited. If money is available, it is in reducing unnecessary lab provisions, X-rays, CT and MRI scans.'

 

Translated: there is this strong tendency by specialists  to work 'by the book', medical investigations are limited and often outdated, there is a focus on not wasting money and time of the specialists. It is restrictive. Most of the time it works, but not always ... There is little choice, this is how basically all specialists learned to do their job.

 

If anything else or more is required, it all depends on the huisarts (GP).

 

It's all about the money ... (and power).

 

Dutch healthcare scares me. When I read that article today, it really scared me. They know so little. Dutch specialists know a lot about the specific organs or whatever their speciality is about, but know almost nothing else. Apperently the 'disease model' is strictly adhered to.

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'A fraction of the patients asks (or demands) maximum research. If we had boundless budgets, we could satisfy everyone - at least on this point. Now, however, in the circumstance that we should also sell "no" to patients, we reduce our points in the satisfaction index'

 

Now that is SICK! Not you, them.

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We're just statistics to them. I hope they try some benzos!  ::)  :P

 

Libery, I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with so many health issues. Have you written about them on a blog somewhere? Big hugs and all my strengths to you! xoxo

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No blogging for me. I'm considering filing charges (something like 'medical board')  against the GP, at least I'd be able to 'say something' about his behavior. He hinted that he would retire within a few years. I'd hate to see his replacement say 'you've been on that drug long enough, taper it down' as if nothing has happened ! My records in no way indicate what really happened.

Disadvantages: sure. The whole local medical community may turn against me, possibly including the local hospital, the charges may be dismissed anyway, the members tend to act in favor of the doctors. Of course I'm not going to accept another amateur who will decide what healthcare I need ! Not without risk, but 'as is' isn't fine either.

 

A civil lawsuit would be terribly expensive ... could take years, and so much money. Criminal law ? Doctors are too protected.

 

I'd have a problem if I went abroad for medical treatment ... but it looks like I won't have money for that either.

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No. Not for this. It's possible in cases when the medical errors and the damage and causality are easy to prove. Those lawyers are not the best, however. You need lawyers specialized in medical cases.

If you have a strong position, some firms will pay upfront. And since docs are insured, they will admit their errors. Usually.

 

But this is not the USA. The burden of proof is high in a regular civil lawsuit, causality has to be proven. Easy (not!) if you have proof of failed surgery.

 

You need very solid, irrefutable proof. 'its'just a pill' ? And it's common for GPs not to refer. Healthcare as whole emphasizes minimizing costs ('necessary'). That's normal. Lawsuits often take years if the doc does not admit responsibility. There is no money paid for mental anguish, or at most you'd get 25,000 euros. (´xe.com´)  I'm not sure.

 

It's very expensive, Dutch doctors will not testify against other Dutch doctors or help you with relevant diagnostics. They would no longer be able to practice in this country. My estimate: costs several 10,000 USD or even more than 100,000 USD if there is an appeal.

 

Recently I was a at a family birthday party.  A story about surgery, the patient could very clearly hear the noise of of the doctor cutting through the bone. Someone else was promised mild general anesthesia for surgery, but at the time in question the doctors decided it was ´not necessary´. Painkillers for pain ? Ibuprofen, super strong ! (not for me, it doesn´t work) In the local media about a certain hospital: because a significant number of people had to come back to the hospital after surgery, doctors decided to ask the patients if they were ready to go home ! Imagine that, you can ask a patient rather than say ´you´re ready to go home, goobye ´!

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Recently I was a at a family birthday party.  A story about surgery, the patient could very clearly hear the noise of of the doctor cutting through the bone. Someone else was promised mild general anesthesia for surgery, but at the time in question the doctors decided it was ´not necessary´. Painkillers for pain ? Ibuprofen, super strong ! (not for me, it doesn´t work) In the local media about a certain hospital: because a significant number of people had to come back to the hospital after surgery, doctors decided to ask the patients if they were ready to go home ! Imagine that, you can ask a patient rather than say ´you´re ready to go home, goobye ´!

 

Jeez here that would sue for malpractice and likely win. No jury wants to hear this horror story and let the doc get away with that crap!

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