27 May 2008

THE NETHERLANDS – More and more Dutch people are going across the border for medical treatment, report figures released by The Netherlands’ two largest insurers. 

Trouw reported Monday that there were 1,000 claims for treatment in Belgium in 2006, but that number shot up to 8,000 in 2007.

AD also reported Monday that there were no waiting lists across the border.

A spokesperson for one insurance company said, "It's a real relief to patients if they don't have to wait endlessly for treatment. Not knowing when you'll be able to have your operation is difficult. And they're also really satisfied with the way they're treated in Belgian hospitals".

AD interviews one of the cross-border patients who said, "The hospital was excellent, everybody was friendly and they listened to me. In The Netherlands, the doctors are only interested in the scan, they weren't interested in what I had to say".

[Radio Netherlands / Jacqueline Carver / Expatica]