Abstract
The evolution of health care in the Netherlands and the various methods of social insurance are discussed briefly. A description of medical care is followed by a section on the Cross Societies, school health services, industrial medicine, and the role of the state health authorities. In the context of primary medical care, the role of the general practitioner, his freedom to choose his place of work, his preference for rural districts, the reasons for the increasing lack of general practitioners in big cities, and the financial position of Dutch general practitioners are discussed and analyzed. The tasks of the general practitioner are categorized as diagnostic, curative, delegating, and registering and coordinating functions, as well as that of social critic. Methods of practice and cooperation with both medical and nonmedical health personnel are described. Finally, an account on the professional organizations and the Netherlands Institute of General Practice is followed by a review on the recent development of specific vocational training for general practice.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.