Reply #21: Dutch govt. flies citizens from Netherland Antilles (in Caribbean) to Holland for all surgeries.

[Divernan]

I have made 3 diving trips to a very small Dutch island, Saba, just south of St. Maarten's, in the Caribbean. There are only a few thousand people living there. It's a volcanic island which rises steeply out of the ocean, with no beaches, so the only visitors are scuba divers and rock climbers. It is quite beautiful, with a rain forest at the top, and served as the model for "Skull Island", in the the original, black and white, 1930's film, King Kong.

I was talking to a local guy there on my last trip. He and his wife are in their mid-60's. Like most islanders, he works at a variety of jobs - one of which is driving a taxi. I asked him what out-of-pocket money they had to pay for health care. Are you ready for this?!?!?!

TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE COUPLE ! ! ! THAT'S ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER PERSON! ! !

There is a Dutch sponsored medical school on the island, so there are a number of very good European doctors/specialists there, who like to spend a few years "working" in such an exotic location. However, the hospital is tiny. Whenever an islander requires ANY kind of surgery, they can choose to go to one of the larger islands in the area, or be flown back to Amsterdam for their surgery and recovery - all TOTALLY paid for by the Dutch government. This guy's wife needed open heart surgery the previous year, and she chose to have it in Amsterdam. No problems - she's home and doing just fine.

The Dutch government has also just finished moving all overhead utility lines underground - a difficult job on a solid rock island - so that tropical storms and hurricanes will not interrupt delivery of electricity to homes and businesses.

It's not just wealthy, European countries which have good and inexpensive health care.
I was on a dive trip to Belize and was in an underwater accident resulting in a broken front tooth.
Getting ocean water onto the tooth's root meant an immediate infection. I ended up flying in from the coast to the capitol, Belize City, to see a dentist - not an oral surgeon, mind you - just a regular dentist. I had a root canal (and I'd had 3 prior root canals, so was expecting massive pain.) My young dentist, with his central American degree - performed a painless root canal. He sent me back home with a written description and x ray. My regular dentist said the guy had done a perfect job. The cost to me? With apologies, he asked me for $36.50.