the strains on the health care system.
At this point I would like to finish the introduction of my presentation. We have looked at several parts of the organization of health care in the Netherlands: we started with an overview of the total field, Then we looked at the general principles of equity and solidarity and at the way in which the health care ill the Netherlands is financed. We looked at the total money spent on health care and on some ways in which quality is enhanced. As a last item we discussed some problems that prevail and some possible solutions. Although it took some time to take you through this material, and it is certainly not the most vivid part of my presentation, I trust it is a good basis to understand the next parts.
Screen 20 (contents: general practitioner)
When we look at file contents it is now time to speak about the general practitioner. I start with the GP because he or she is central to the Dutch health care organization,
Screen 21(home care: general practitioner: functions)
There are three characteristics of Dutch family medicine that are the basis for this statement. First of all, every person in the Netherlands is listed with his or her general practitioner. This GP maintains a record of every patient, including medical history, risk factors, chronic diseases, medications, etcetera. This information is an important ingredient in giving personal care. Dutch family doctors see three-quarters of their listed patients regularly, mostly four or five times a year. This characteristic of 'listing' guarantees patients continuity of care. The second characteristic of the GP is the gatekeeping function. This means that patients do not
