{"id":6075,"date":"2026-05-11T15:23:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apeldoorn.nl\/college-van-b-en-w\/beleidsstukken-en-visies\/sport-gezondheid\/samenvatting-integraal-zorgakkoord-iza\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T13:29:54","slug":"samenvatting-integraal-zorgakkoord-iza","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.apeldoorn.nl\/en\/college-van-b-en-w\/beleidsstukken-en-visies\/sport-gezondheid\/samenvatting-integraal-zorgakkoord-iza\/","title":{"rendered":"Summary of the Comprehensive Care Agreement (IZA)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The healthcare sector is under pressure<\/h2>\n

Good healthcare, accessible to everyone. And healthcare that is affordable. We in the Netherlands consider this important \u2013 for ourselves, for our family and friends, and for society as a whole. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue providing that care. If we do nothing, things will go wrong. So, to ensure good healthcare, both now and in the future, we must all work together. This is something we must do together: the healthcare sector, politicians and, in fact, everyone in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Healthcare staff are experts in their field, well-trained and motivated. They carry out their work with great dedication to the patient or client. However, the workload is often too high to sustain this over the long term. This became even more apparent during the coronavirus crisis. Staff have to deal with a lot of administrative red tape. They also often feel they have little freedom in their day-to-day work. The high workload means that many staff are absent due to illness. Or they look for another job. This, in turn, increases the workload even further.<\/p>\n

Good, accessible and affordable healthcare therefore calls for action. The government, local authorities, healthcare providers, health insurers, healthcare staff and patient organisations have therefore reached agreements. These agreements are set out in the Comprehensive Healthcare Agreement.<\/p>\n

Access to healthcare is not equal<\/h3>\n

The demand for healthcare continues to rise. We are living longer, and as a result there are an increasing number of older people relative to the working population. More and more expensive treatments are becoming available. Many illnesses that used to be fatal can now be survived. But this often requires a great deal of medication and intensive care.<\/p>\n

There is already a shortage of healthcare staff. We are seeing these shortages almost everywhere: among GPs, hospital specialists and in mental health care. The result: long waiting lists. Community nursing services and hospital A&E departments are also overwhelmed. Local authorities, too, face major challenges. They are responsible for providing support to vulnerable people. But there are staff shortages there as well. As a result, people do not always receive the care they need in time.<\/p>\n

Moreover, access to healthcare is not the same for everyone. Even in the prosperous Netherlands, it still matters where you were born and where you live. People on low incomes, with little education, or those with a (learning) disability often face multiple challenges. They do not always know their way around the healthcare system. As a result, health and quality of life are unevenly distributed. On average, people on low incomes and with little education also have shorter life expectancies.<\/p>\n

The quality of care is under pressure<\/h3>\n

Healthcare in the Netherlands is of a high standard. We can be proud of that. People working in healthcare are committed, motivated and very well trained. Yet we see that some of the countries around us are actually performing better than us when it comes to certain illnesses. And we cannot always prove that the care we provide is actually beneficial. This is not good for patients.<\/p>\n

Not all problems require a medical solution. Sometimes, for example, support from social services is better than a visit to the doctor or medication. For instance, when it comes to loneliness or poverty. To make this happen, better cooperation is needed. This won\u2019t happen by itself; doctors, community nurses and local authorities need laws and systems to help them achieve this. We need a shift from \u2018caring for people\u2019 to \u2018caring with people\u2019.<\/p>\n

Will healthcare remain affordable?<\/h3>\n

If we do not take action, by 2060 we will be spending three times as much on healthcare as we do now. That is not feasible, nor is it what we want. After all, as a society, we also need to spend money on other major issues such as climate change, housing, security and education. We will, however, continue to spend more on healthcare in the coming years. This is necessary because demand for healthcare continues to grow. This is partly due to the fact that there are an increasing number of older people. New, expensive treatments and medicines \u2013 for example, in the treatment of cancer \u2013 also cost more. Expenditure will therefore continue to rise, but the rate of increase must be slower than it is at present.<\/p>\n

At present, one in six workers in the Netherlands works in the healthcare sector. If we carry on as we are, by 2040 one in four workers would have to work in healthcare. That is neither desirable nor feasible. After all, we want affordable healthcare. Nor can so many more people work in the healthcare sector. After all, workers are also needed in other sectors, such as the police or education.<\/p>\n

What are we going to do?<\/h2>\n