Looking for a new GP? That can sometimes become difficult. Almost 25 percent of general practitioners have a complete patient stop, according to responses from more than 1,500 general practitioners who Independent collected. In 2023, that number was still around 18 percent, according to the healthcare comparison site.
In total, two-thirds of general practices do not simply accept new patients. Some practices therefore have a complete stop, while others can only accept new patients who meet certain priority conditions. According to Independer, a new GP is easiest to find outside the cities and in richer municipalities.
The results of the research do not surprise chairman Marjolein Tasche of the National Association of General Practitioners (LHV). The pressure on general practitioner care has been increasing for some time. “GPs are increasingly paying closer attention to what they can handle,” says Tasche. According to her, for example, they keep a better eye on where someone lives, so that a visit home does not take up too much travel time.
‘More general practitioners needed than ever’
More and more is falling on the shoulders of the GP, says Tasche. More elderly people live longer at home instead of in nursing homes, patients are discharged from hospital earlier, waiting lists for mental health care and other specialist care have increased.
“Take, for example, a twelve-year-old girl with anorexia. Her parents are very concerned, but she has to wait nine months for specialist care. Until then, that remains the GP’s concern,” says Tasche. “We have more general practitioners than ever, but we also need more than ever.”
According to Tasche, GPs are also increasingly confronted with matters that have more to do with social welfare than with care. Questions about insecurity, domestic violence, poverty or mold in the home, for example. “We must also invest in social safety and neighborhood initiatives.”
Tasche mentions even more solutions, such as “regional training”. If a GP is trained for three years in a region where the shortage is more acute, he or she is more likely to continue living and working there. Municipalities and insurers are increasingly helping new general practices get started, says Tasche, by finding housing or offering a start-up allowance. She also hopes for more clarity from the Tax Authorities about the new self-employed scheme. “We need freelancers, including for evening and weekend shifts.”
According to the GP association, too much attention is currently paid to hospital specializations within the curriculum. “We are fighting for more attention within medical training,” says Tasche. She expects that it will take some time before the GP shortage will be resolved. “There are solutions, but they will not have an effect tomorrow.”
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