Catch Up: Our 4-Part Series "In The Netherlands" 🇳🇱
How Dutch doctors built one of the world's top primary care systems
This four-part series explores what makes the Dutch model work, what challenges they still face, and what lessons we might bring back home to Canada. From how patients access care to how physicians are supported, the Netherlands offers a vision of what’s possible when primary care is treated as the true foundation of the health system.
In 2024, Dr. Tara Kiran traveled to The Netherlands to find out exactly how the Dutch built a system that offers almost every person in their country meaningful and timely primary care.
Here’s the full series in one place:
1️⃣ The Foundation of Dutch Primary Care
We start with the basics: how the Dutch system is built, why family medicine is at its centre, and how patients enter the system.
2️⃣ Supporting GPs, Strengthening Teams
This episode explores how Dutch doctors are set up to thrive—through strong professional organizations, manageable patient panels, and collaborative team-based care.
3️⃣ Urgent Care, Without the ED
In the Netherlands, after-hours care looks very different. We take you inside the co-op model that keeps patients out of emergency rooms and ensures care is available 24/7.
4️⃣ Reflections From The Road
We wrap up with a conversation between Dr. Tara Kiran and Ontario Health’s Rosemary Hannam, reflecting on their trip to The Netherlands, including what they saw, what surprised them, and what might be possible for Canada.
📸 Also, I took so many great photos during this trip that I have to at least mention this post, where you can see my research trip in action — including all the moments that didn’t make it it to the podcast:
By pulling together lessons from across the series, my goal is simple: to spark imagination about what primary care could look like here at home.
Stay tuned to Primary Focus as I travel throughout Canada and all over the world to show off primary care systems and clinics that are offering access to care in innovative and effective ways.