Wie is in Nederland meestal je eerste aanspreekpunt als je ziek bent?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (huisarts)
Inburgeringsexamen · Zorg
KNM Practice Questions: Gezondheid en Gezondheidszorg (Dutch Healthcare, 2026)
Gezondheid en gezondheidszorg is the KNM theme about how Dutch healthcare is organised, and its central figure is the huisarts, the GP. The huisarts is your first point of contact when you are ill: you make an appointment, you can get a recept (prescription) for the apotheek, and you usually need the huisarts's verwijzing (referral) to see a specialist in the hospital. Basic health insurance is compulsory for everyone living in the Netherlands, you pay a monthly premie, and in an emergency with danger to life you call 112.
Practice
Free practice questions
Wat doe je als je ziek bent en naar de huisarts wilt?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (afspraak huisarts)
Wat kun je van de huisarts krijgen om medicijnen te halen?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (recept)
Wat heb je meestal nodig om naar een specialist te gaan?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (verwijzing)
Wie stuurt je door naar een specialist in het ziekenhuis?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (doorsturen ziekenhuis)
Waar weet een specialist heel veel van?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (specialist)
Wat is verplicht voor iedereen die in Nederland woont?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (verplichte verzekering)
Wat betaal je elke maand aan de zorgverzekering?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (premie)
Wie kan zorgtoeslag krijgen van de Belastingdienst?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (zorgtoeslag)
Hoeveel is het eigen risico in 2025?
Based on: KNM: Gezondheid (eigen risico bedrag)
The huisarts first, then the specialist, then the apotheek
Dutch healthcare is built around one routing rule, and the exam tests it from every direction: the huisarts is your first point of contact. When you are ill you call the GP practice and make an appointment; you do not simply go to the hospital. A specialist knows a great deal about one disease or one part of the body, and to see one you usually need a verwijzing, a referral, from the huisarts, who refers you to the hospital. Medicines follow the same pattern of gatekeeping. You collect medicines at the apotheek, the pharmacy, and for many of them you need a recept, a prescription from the doctor; a simple painkiller like paracetamol you can buy without a prescription at the drogist. Outside office hours the routing changes: in the evening or at the weekend, when your own GP is closed and it is not life-threatening, you call the huisartsenpost, the out-of-hours GP service. When life is in danger or there is an accident, you call 112 straight away, the emergency number for the ambulance, the police and the fire brigade. Which number or door fits which situation is exactly what the exam checks.
- Huisarts first: appointment, prescription, and the referral you need for a specialist.
- Evenings and weekends without danger to life: the huisartsenpost.
- Danger to life or an accident: call 112 (ambulance, police, fire brigade).
Insurance, the eigen risico, and care for children
The money side of the theme starts with an obligation: a basiszorgverzekering, basic health insurance, is compulsory for everyone who lives in the Netherlands, and you pay the insurer a monthly premie. People with a low income can get zorgtoeslag, the health-care allowance, from the Belastingdienst. Then comes the fact candidates most often get wrong: the eigen risico, the deductible. In 2025 it is 385 euros per year, and it means you first pay part of the care yourself before the insurance pays. The exam's favourite twist is the exception: a visit to the huisarts does not count towards the eigen risico, it is free. Dentistry has its own split: for adults the basic insurance usually does not cover the dentist, but for children the dentist is free up to 18 years old. Young children have a dedicated institution, the consultatiebureau, the child health clinic, where they go for check-ups on their growth and receive inentingen, vaccinations, against diseases; the consultatiebureau costs nothing. One abbreviation completes the theme: the GGD is the Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst, the municipal public health service, and for ordinary complaints you go to the huisarts, not the GGD.
| Situation | Where you go or what you call |
|---|---|
| You are ill during office hours | The huisarts: call and make an appointment |
| You need a specialist | First a verwijzing (referral) from the huisarts |
| You need medicine on prescription | The apotheek, with a recept from the doctor |
| Ill in the evening or weekend, no danger to life | The huisartsenpost (out-of-hours GP service) |
| Danger to life or an accident | Call 112: ambulance, police and fire brigade |
| Check-ups and vaccinations for young children | The consultatiebureau, which is free |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who is your first point of contact in Dutch healthcare?
The huisarts, the GP. When you are ill you call the practice and make an appointment; you do not go straight to the hospital. The huisarts can give you a recept for the apotheek and a verwijzing if you need a specialist, which is why so many KNM questions route through this one role.
Do you need a referral to see a specialist in the Netherlands?
Yes, usually. To see a specialist in the hospital you normally need a verwijzing, a referral, from your huisarts. A specialist knows a lot about one disease or one part of the body, and the huisarts decides when that expertise is needed and refers you.
Is health insurance compulsory in the Netherlands?
Yes. A basiszorgverzekering, basic health insurance, is compulsory for everyone who lives in the Netherlands, and you pay the insurer a premie every month. People with a low income can get zorgtoeslag, the health-care allowance, from the Belastingdienst to help with that premium.
What is the eigen risico and how much is it?
The eigen risico is the deductible: you first pay part of your care yourself before the insurance pays. In 2025 it is 385 euros per year. The exception the exam loves: a visit to the huisarts does not count towards the eigen risico, it is free.
When do you call 112, and when the huisartsenpost?
You call 112 when there is danger to life or an accident: it is the emergency number for the ambulance, the police and the fire brigade. If you are ill in the evening or at the weekend without danger to life, you call the huisartsenpost, the out-of-hours GP service, because your own GP is closed.
What is the consultatiebureau?
The consultatiebureau is the child health clinic where young children go for check-ups on their growth and for inentingen, vaccinations against diseases. It is free for all young children. Do not confuse it with the GGD, the Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst, which is the municipal public health service.