[From the Vault] In the Netherlands: after-hours care that works
Emergency departments in Canada are overcrowded — but what if they didn’t have to be? In Part Three of her audio documentary series from the Netherlands, Dr. Tara Kiran takes listeners behind the scenes at two Dutch after-hours clinics: one in the university town of Nijmegen, and another in bustling Amsterdam. She follows Dr. Tim Olde Hartman into a modern after-hours centre that serves over 400,000 people — and learns how Dutch GPs came together to fix a broken model. Rather than being on call alone, GPs in the Netherlands now work together in large regional cooperatives to provide care 24/7. Patients call one number, speak with a specially trained practice assistant, and are guided to the right level of care — whether that’s phone advice, an in-person visit, or a doctor dispatched directly to their home.
It’s a system built on trust, triage, and teamwork — and it results in emergency rooms that are calm, efficient, and often… empty.
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Resources
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click to catch up.
See a gallery of Dr. Kiran’s photos from her trip to the Netherlands.
Hear Dr. Kiran speaking about her trip on CBC’s White Coat, Black Art
Read Dr. Kiran’s 4-part series for the Canadian Health Network on her trip
Read an article about Tara’s host, Dr. Tim Olde Hartman: A Giant Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
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Do you have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to
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