Dutch Health care system is well known for its quality.
Information about the Medical System in the Netherlands is widely available in English.
From Japanese point of view with a comparison to the one in the U.K. and Holland, hopefully this thread makes interesting and informative article to read.
In Japan:
Anyone can go to see any doctors of your choice while you are a part of Japanese National Health Insurance system. (For those who are on foreighn private medical insurances might be a different story and restriction may occur depends on the policy. Your best bet then would be seeking an advise from the biggest/nearest hospital in the place, where you reside. )
A contribution towards the Japanese National Health Insurance System is obligatory for anyone, who is a registered residence in Japan. (This bit is similar to the system in the Netherlands.)
The best bit from the Japanese medical system is that if you want/need ENT, you could just walk in to any offices of ENT in Japan, even across any prefectural borders also often without a reservation.
Another thing you might already know is that people in Japan are generally ready to wait in a long queue when it is about a dining experience or seeing doctors with high reputations.
Visiting several specialists for more opinions is absolutely norm. And the procedure can be continued until you hear a satisfactory answer from a doctor(!)
Expect a few-hours long waiting if you opt out to be an outpatient for a specialist at the General Hospital without referral letter from your GP.
Indeed, it is possible to visit hospital’s specialist directly, but bear in mind there is a separate charge for this. (Somewhere between 45 to 60 usd.)
In U.K.:
Seeing specialists without a referral letter from GP seems to be an impossible task in the United Kingdom (Netherlands is the same story), unless otherwise you choose to walk in to a private hospital. (but there, you will be anyway directed to see a General Physician first without a referral)
In U.K., whether you are a member of a private health insurance or not, one needs to visit your primary GP and ask for a referral first in order to seek for an advise from a specialist in general. It’s essencial to have your medical cost reimbursed by your insurer.
The referral possibilities depend on the insurance policy and where you live. A very well-written policy though, can offer countrywide choice regardless where you live.
In general speaking, a good GP can refer to a hospital/clinic swiftly. So give a good research before sighning up for one, because it is uncommon to change your primary GP with your own will.
Of course, a large city like London offers several private hospitals and clinics.(known private hospital/clinics are in central London and South West like Wimbledon) It is possible to see them without insurance or referral from your primary GP. Just ‘Mind the bill’.
In Holland:
You are allowed to (keep) change(ing) your GP!
In the Netherlands, it is obligatory to join a Basic Health Insurance called ‘basisverzekering’. Everyone who resides in the Netherlands must join this Basic Insurance within a four-month period from the day your residence permit was granted.
The basic insurance is run by a various private insurance companies. The Medical Insurance providers cannot choose/reject subscribers. The law is that they must accept everyone wanting to sign up for the health insurance regardless the age or gender or conditions. (if you are jumping one to another every year, they might put you on a restriction though…)
The idea behind it is probably that :
Competitiveness makes things better by itself.
In the Netherlands, things are often merticulously given thought to. All have been well considered and well challanged. And most importnatly it is still being questioned to be better. It is the most beautiful thing about the Netherlands in general.
Back to the health insurance,
the Basic insurance premiums are mildly varied whether you have a choise of hospitals around where you live or you opt out for a certain hospital or the way they handle the reimbursement for your treatments etc..
A relatively well written policy is around 120pcm pp, which is quite similar figure to the one you would get from a known private helath insurance company in the United Kingdom.
There is a maximum limit annualy for the amount you spend for medical check ups and hospital cost so on. It’s currently upto 380 euro per year.
However if you would like to rather having certain medicines, which are not included in the list of Basic Insurance’s medicine or it is not vital to your health, they might be charged separately.
There is a website explaining how Holland is working hard to make sure for the affordability of available medicines.
anyone interested in more details? link below is the official infomation:
https://www.government.nl/topics/medicines/question-and-answer/what-medicines-are-covered-by-insurance