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.
Stay tuned for Part Four, where Tara reflects on the trip with colleague Rosemary Hannam, who joined her in the Netherlands just before becoming Strategic Advisor on Primary Care at Ontario Health.
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click to catch up.
See a galleryof 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 on after hours care in the Netherlands called "Quality of after-hours care in the Netherlands: a narrative review"
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Do you have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to
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