Over 200 foreign doctors ready to work in NL, waiting on tests

More than 200 foreign doctors who live in the Netherlands have responded to a call by the association of foreign certified doctors VBGA and registered to help in Dutch hospitals during the coronavirus crisis. None have them have actually started working yet, because they first have to take all kinds of tests, VBGA chairman Nafise Ghalandari said to NOS.

The group of doctors is very diverse, Ghalandari said, ranging from refugees to expats to people with a Dutch partner. They come from all over the world. Before they can start working in the Dutch healthcare system, they must first take four language tests and three knowledge tests, and then work as interns for a few months, according to Ghalandari.

"More than half of the registered doctors have now completed the language tests, so they speak good Dutch. But the process takes a long time," he said. 

The Ministry of Public Health previously called it "very heartwarming" that so many people want to help with this crisis. Foreign doctors who do not yet meet the guidelines may work according to the "extended arm construction", the Ministry pointed out to NOS. This means that they will work under the responsibility of someone who does meet all the requirements and is registered as competent.