How is it that 99% of people in the Netherlands have access to primary care? How can Dutch doctors look after large numbers of patients while still providing primary care? Those are some of the questions Dr. Kiran is set on answering when she visits the Netherlands to learn more about their primary care system. In the first of this four part series, Dr. Kiran brings you with her as she visits a GP practice in Nijmegen. She shadows Dr. Tim Olde Hartmen and Dr. Suzanne Ligthart to understand a typical work day. She meets key members of their team and unpacks how they all work together. In Part Two, Dr. Kiran introduces you to what she called “the secret sauce” of the Dutch primary care system. Stay tuned!

See a gallery of Dr. Kiran’s photos from her trip to the Netherlands.

Read Dr. Kiran’s 4-part series on the Netherlands published in the Medical Post and the insights she shared with Andre Picard at the Globe and Mail.

Listen to Dr. Kiran speaking about her trip on CBC’s White Coat, Black Art

Read an article about Tara’s host, Dr. Tim Olde Hartman: A Giant Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

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Take the OurCare national survey to share your experiences with primary care.

Do you have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to 

Dr. Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ 

Primary Focus is supported by a grant from the St. Michael’s Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.

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