The big four health insurers have torn up their contracts with private family doctors’ company Co-Med and are now looking for alternative options for their 50,000 clients.

On Wednesday CZ, VGZ, Menzis and Zilveren Kruis accused the company of failing to meet its obligations after a string of complaints from patients about access and the availability of qualified staff.

“We have come to the conclusion that Co-Med cannot guarantee the provision of good healthcare,” CZ said in a statement.

By cancelling the contracts, the insurers will no longer pay people to be treated in one of the 13 Co-Med family doctor practices it runs nationwide.

Patients who are considered to be the most vulnerable will be priority placements with a new family doctor but there needs to be a “structural solution” for all the patients who are written in at a Co-Med practice, the health insurers said.

Co-Med has been trying to build up a position in the Dutch healthcare market. It was launched in 2019 by three Limburg businessmen, who said at the time the aim was to relieve doctors of their support tasks, such as roster planning and bookkeeping.

The company now owns 13 family doctor clinics, many of which were bought from doctors who were retiring and had not been able to find someone to take over their practices. The company works largely with freelance doctors who are responsible for some 50,000 patients in Breda, Zwolle, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Enschede.

However, its operations have been hit by a string of complaints about accessibility, poor care and the use of unqualified staff. Health ministry inspectors have also ordered the company to “improve the availability and accessibility of care”, saying Co-Med has shown “serious shortcomings”.