Irish model unthinkable to Dutch

A TWO-TIER health system similar to that which operates in Ireland would be “unthinkable” in the Netherlands, according to a prominent Dutch doctor.

Dr Stevie Tan, an ophthalmologist at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said the best thing about the Dutch healthcare system was universal access.

He described the Netherlands as a “very egalitarian society” and the concept of somebody with money being able to skip waiting lists or receive better treatment was something that would be “totally unacceptable” to the Dutch public.

Mr Tan was a guest speaker at the Irish College of Ophthalmologists Annual Conference in Cavan yesterday in which he spoke about the Dutch healthcare model which was introduced in 2006. The model operates by way of universal insurance with competing private insurers accessing health care on behalf of their customers.