Gezondheidscentrum Helmersstraat

When I moved to Amsterdam from London my relocation agent had enrolled me at this health center for my GP. So never having a real say in who I wanted my GP to be I could not have been happier with the choice made by my agent.
It has now been over 5 years and I have heard many of my friends complain about the healthcare in the Netherlands. Well ladies and gents, if you want:
— to be listened too
–don’t want absurd waiting times for appointments
— don’t want to feel rushed during your appointment
— action taken on your behave
— feel like you are being taken seriously
Then this is your place!
I can’t speak for all the GP’s there but my GP Dr. Linnebank is a trooper. To give you all a clear example:
I fell down the stairs at work and couldn’t put down my foot anymore. The first aid consultants at work had urged me to go to the hospital or see my GP. So I called the Center the assistant was super understanding and soothing. She listened to my story and then told me to come over as soon as I could even though the Dr. was busy and my fall wasn’t exactly live threatening she would make sure that he would see me quickly in between. When I got there (carried in by my cab driver ;))She sat me down and called my GP who was in another appointment. After a short wait he finished his appointment and helped me straight away even though the waiting room was full. He assessed my foot and body to make sure I didn’t have any other injuries. After which he concluded that he wanted me to go to the hospital, so he called the hospital himself to make sure they knew I was coming and could be helped quickly.
About 4 weeks after all this I went back to see my GP as my foot wasn’t getting any better. If any it was getting worse and I couldn’t stand on it. Again I was helped quick. My GP concluded that he didn’t agree with the specialists in the hospital and wanted me to go and see the specialist again. He picked up the phone himself and called the specialist directly in the hospital. The specialist argued that I just need to see a fysio but this answer wasn’t good enough. My GP insisted that they have to reassess and a couple days later I have an appointment again.
Now for Dutch standards this kind of personally help is rare and it is what sets this health-​center apart from other GP offices.
Only negative: the main entrance is not accessible by car, so in this case and not being able to walk was a bit of an issue.