Hospital and emergencies

Every hospital provides first-line care in the event of an accident or emergency. At the hospital, look for the entrance marked EHBO or Eerste Hulp (First Aid). The first time you go to a hospital to see a specialist or to have tests or emergency treatment, remember to take your insurance papers with you. Tell the staff at the reception desk that you are a new patient. The hospital will then register your details and give you a plastic card (ponsplaatje), which you must show each time you attend the hospital.

However, in the Netherlands, it is not usual to go to the hospital (ziekenhuis) for minor symptoms like headaches or stomach aches. Therefore, unless you have a serious symptom you should always first go to your general practitioner (GP). The reason for this is that emergency rooms are very expensive and, if your condition is not life threatening, you will be sent to your GP anyway. However, if your GP thinks it is necessary for you to go to the hospital he or she will give you a referral for the proper specialist. > more information about GP's

Groningen has two hospitals: