Hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and patients groups spend over €1bn a year lobbying the government on health-related issues, says Tony Lamping, head of the health insurers’ lobby group ZN in Wednesday’s Volkskrant.

Lamping’s research for Tilburg University shows the Netherlands has 300 lobby groups employing over 6,000 people, all of which are financed by the taxpayer and healthcare premiums.
‘The lobby groups operate between the government and the front line. They are involved in healthcare but never see a patient,’ he said. All want something from the ministry of health which has an annual budget over over €60bn to spend.