From care to health
The healthcare sector has recently often received attention in the Dutch media, with alarming reports about rising healthcare costs, growing waiting times and an ever-expanding demand for care. At the same time, health differences between population groups are becoming increasingly evident and there is a growing awareness of differences in the effectiveness of treatments, for example between men and women. This has an amplifying effect on the demand for care. Added to this, the geopolitical shift in the world raises the question of how resilient and self-sufficient the Dutch healthcare system is. Are we in fact better prepared for a pandemic or crisis than before?
Consequences
The above are major challenges which are necessitating healthcare in the Netherlands to change. Some important outcomes of this transition:
- A health-driven system: The current fragmented healthcare system, focused on disease treatment, will transform into an integrated health-driven system in which the patient is central, and innovation is bolstered
- A strong focus on equal outcomes for everyone: The emphasis is on equal access to care and health facilities, in which social, economic and environmental aspects are factored in
- Building a resilient system: The future system is not only able to meet the demand for care but is also resilient in times of crisis.
Four recommendations
Several well-intentioned initiatives to shape the healthcare transition, in which healthcare parties work together on themes such as prevention, digitalization, appropriate care and relieving the burden on healthcare providers, are under way. The government and health insurers play a stimulating role in these changes. However, we have doubts whether these initiatives will lead to the fundamental changes that are needed to solve the challenges in the long term. Therefore, four recommendations:
- Redesign the system: Incremental change is not enough. We must dare to redesign the system, with new care and health models that are close to the patients and supported by appropriate financing, legislation, technology and secure data exchange. This requires clear goals, perseverance to ensure consistency and administrative courage to tackle the major themes
- Urgency in the right themes: We see disproportionate investments in care versus investments in prevention. In short-term solutions versus long-term solutions. In popular themes that visibly deliver effects versus less visible but also crucial themes, such as security and crisis preparation. These need to be balanced
- The way of changing: The current way of changing is not sustainable; it is too much at once and too fragmented. To organize the transition, a transition strategy is needed that allows parties to work together smarter, and utilize time and resources more specifically and effectively for the appropriate initiatives
- Public-private partnership: The transition is driven by healthcare parties, while the greater part of the solution does not lie within healthcare. The fundamental themes surrounding health are, by definition, broader than just care.
A successful transition
Collaboration between public and private organizations, the government and local communities is essential for the required transition. A successful transition can only be realized by parties committed to a better care system, committing themselves to this process.
Essay by Aida Demneri, partner at Deloitte. Published in Management Scope 04 2025.