General practitioner Dietvorst leaves Alblasserdam and goes to France

Plasserdam – General practitioner Helene Dietvorst is leaving Plasserdam. The general clinic, located at Dok11 on Parallelweg, is up for takeover. The Ditvoorst family will move to France in mid-2024. “France has always attracted me,” Helen explains. For example, I spent a year in medicine in Bordeaux, trained in Paris and worked in an emergency center in Lyon.

liberties
A few months ago, Helene Dietvorst saw an advert from a general practitioner in France who was discontinuing. “In this I saw an opportunity to realize the dream and decided to make contact. General doctors in France have much more freedom to do their job the way I envision it. The influence of the health insurance company is much less.

Dordogne
The practice is located in France in a small village in the Dordogne region. Helen: “The village itself has a population of about 700, but there are very few general practitioners there, which makes the practice a regional function.”

France
The idea is that the Ditvorsts will leave the Netherlands in July 2024. “Then the children (9-year-old twins, ed.) can still finish the school year here.” Meanwhile, Hélène took and passed a language test to become a general practitioner in France. You will also take an additional course in medical French so that you can provide appropriate care to French patients.

acquisition
The single clinic has approximately 2,850 patients and a successor will be sought in Plasserdam in the coming period. “But the enthusiasm to take over practices is very low at the moment.”

what if?
When asked what happens if no one takes over the practice, the GP replied: “I am doing everything I can to find a successor, because I want the patients I have built a relationship with over the past 13 years to be as healthy as they are.” Possible transfer possible. If there is not already a successor to be found, it means more than 2,800 people in Plasserdam will be without a GP. Of course that shouldn’t happen. That’s why I also contacted VGZ, because it is the largest health insurance company here and has a duty of care towards its policyholders, with the warning: “Be careful, all the practices in Plasserdam are already full and there could be a problem.”

brief
The hope is that a GP will be found in the coming months to take charge of the Ditvoorst clinic. If a successor is found, all patients will be informed by letter.

Van Wermes churches
Helene Dietvorst started her general practice in Alplasserdam in 2010 and then succeeded GP Van Wermeskerken.