The Dutch health service is generally good, but there is much room for improvement, according to the latest public health institute report, published on Tuesday.

It is the third time since 2006 the RIVM has published an in depth report into the accessibility, cost and quality of the Dutch care sector.
While healthcare is easily accessible, there are major differences in the price and quality between different providers, the report said.
For example, the cost of a hernia operation varied between €1,000 and €2,500, depending on the hospital. And the number of unplanned c-section births varies between 7% and 30%, the report shows.
And long waiting lists for some treatments and difficult telephone contact with family doctors also were causes of concern. The cost of a visit to a family doctor varies between €35 and €185.
Quality
In particular, long-term care for the frail elderly and people with handicaps is under pressure because of the shortage of qualified personnel.
Spending on healthcare has risen around 7% a year since 2007, and now accounts for 20% of government spending.
‘Although quality improvement goes hand in hand with cost savings in some instances, this cannot be firmly concluded for the system as a whole,’ the RIVM said in a statement. ‘In fact, the total costs of care continue to grow at a fast rate, while the quality of care improves slowly.’