Time flies but winter stays. At the time of writing we are again having snowfall and a white world outside. Not too cold and beautiful. As always, there is news to report from the Dutch healthcare sector. In this update we cover:

• The Netherlands has a new government. What are the plans for the health sector?
• Healthtech startup acquired by Swedish company. More European acquisitions to come?
• Absenteeism in Dutch healthcare sector is increasing. What can be done?
• Value of real estate in healthcare sector has fallen sharply. What are the reasons?

I hope that you have had a wonderful break and a great start to the new year. Welcome back to first update of 2026. Before Christmas it was quiet on the news front, but it seems that the new year has brought many activities up to speed again. In this update we cover:

• Consolidation of laboratories continues. What will be the end game?
• Large acquisition in the physiotherapy sector. Who will be next?
• Ministry provides overview of alternatives for prohibition on dividend payments. What does this mean for commercial healthcare providers?
• In a new snapshot we give an updated overview of Arts en Zorg, a successful provider of commercial primary care services

2025 is almost winding down and it is time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to bringing you more news about the Dutch healthcare sector in 2026. Instead of giving a final update (it has been relatively slow on the news front regarding Dutch healthcare the last few weeks), I thought it would be useful to provide you an overview of the key themes that I have presented to you in 2025.

The following text (with some minor tweaks) is what Perplexity (my favorite AI-tool) had made of the nineteen updates you have received from me. I hope that you have found the individual updates of interest, and find the “key messages” in the following text an interesting update on the year as a whole.

2026 will be a new year of challenges and opportunities and I look forward to staying connected with you.

Welcome back to another update on the Dutch commercial healthcare market. The process related to agreeing a new coalition government has started and hopefully it will be finished by Christmas (2026). When there is any news to provide, we will certainly let you know. Luckily, there is other news related to the Dutch healthcare sector. In this update we cover:

• Acibadem opens new clinic in Rotterdam. What is their history in the Dutch market?
• Novicare deal approved by ACM. What are the next steps?
• Dutch hospice care needs revamp. What is the situation?
• New financing system for ER care from 2027. What will it look like?

Welcome back to another update on the Dutch commercial healthcare market. In this update we cover:

• Election results. What are the consequences for commercial healthcare in the Netherlands
• Growing demand for companies providing informal care. What are the reasons?
• Court ruling related to prohibition on dividend payments for specialized clinics. Will the rules against dividend payments be relaxed?
• In our snapshot we give an overview of CityKids, a provider specialized in providing medical care for children

Excuses for the long break since the last update. This is due to a combination of vacations (sailing in Turkey), a busy schedule, and a period of relatively little interesting news related to the Dutch healthcare sector. However, this is no longer the case and in this update we cover:

• Reduced spending on healthcare is likely outcome of upcoming elections. What is the story?
• Government report concludes that Dutch mental healthcare requires fundamental change. What are the options?
• Belgian private equity busy in the Dutch market. What are new investments?

I hope that you are doing well and enjoying the last days of summer and/or the first days of fall (depending on your local weather and your view of the world). Here in the Netherlands, the weather is flexible, one moment beautiful sun and the next moment pouring rain. Whatever the weather, there is always news concerning the Dutch healthcare sector. In this update we cover:

• Private equity acquires innovative mental healthcare provider. What is the story?
• Overall strong financial results in the Dutch healthcare sector, but challenges remain. What is going on?
• Consolidation in EPD sector. What are the key reasons?
• Upcoming Dutch elections. What are possible consequences for commercial healthcare?

It is September, vacations are over, the schools are open, and people are back at work. At the moment of writing, the weather is still nice, but there is a feeling that autumn is right around the corner. It is still relatively slow on the healthcare news front, but, as always, there is still news to report. In this update we cover:

• Three new private equity driven deals announced. Is private equity back?
• Strong financial results for the mental healthcare sector in 2024 – what is behind the improvement?
• In a snapshot we give an overview of Dovida, a provider of homecare services

It has been a long break since the last update, due to a fantastic summer vacation by train in Scandinavia. Due to the long break since the previous, some of the news is somewhat stale, but hopefully still of interest. In this update we cover:

• More M&A activity in the Dutch healthcare sector but less Private Equity. What is going on?
• Lower investments in healthcare real estate. What has happened to foreign investors?
• Move towards complex elderly care in a home setting. Is the trend gaining ground?

Summer is in full swing here, with a string of hot days behind us—just like much of Europe. The season’s slower pace is setting in: people are harder to reach, and the world seems to be winding down. I’ll be joining the holiday crowd at the end of this week, so there won’t be any new updates until August. Still, even with the summer lull, there’s plenty happening in Dutch healthcare. In this update:

• Strong financial results for the elderly care sector in 2024—what’s behind the improvement?
• The Netherlands lags in patient access to medical data—what’s holding us back?
• A flurry of M&A activity as the sector heads into summer—what’s driving the deals?

Summer has definitely arrived. We have had a number of days with pleasant weather and the weather last weekend was scorching. This meant that it was hard work on Saturday to help my eldest daughter and partner with moving house. As always, there is news from the Dutch healthcare sector. In this update we cover:

• Cofinimmo and Aedefica to merge. What are the consequences for the Dutch healthcare sector?
• Bergman and Equipe expand. What does this say about political risks in the Dutch healthcare market?
• IZA, WOZO, ASWA, HLO. What is going on?
• Majority in Parliament for less “commercial activities” in the primary care sector. What are consequences for the further development of primary care?

After a period of cold and wet weather we finally had a nice weekend that was perfect for sailing and a picnic. Unfortunately, the news from the healthcare sector is less positive. In this update we cover:

• Unwelcome news for Evidensia. Will veterinary care in the Netherlands turn out to be a good investment?
• Programs to limits growth in the costs of the Dutch healthcare sector in problems. What is happening?
• Increasing populistic demands in Parliament for making commercial healthcare more difficult. What are the risks for commercial healthcare providers?

There have been a lot of celebrations in the Netherlands these last few eeks. First, we had King’s Day, which is in celebration of the Dutch King’s birthday, but is also an unofficial national day. Then there was 4 May (Remembrance Day commemorating all Dutch civilians and members of the armed forces who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II) and 5 May to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the end of WWII. All the celebrations were helped by the excellent weather we had. In spite of the celebrations and nice weather there is still news to report. In this update we cover:

• Continued increase in number of users of social services. Will increasing the costs of the user change the trend?
• Critical article on substandard quality and inflated costs in commercial elderly care. How negative is this for the sector?
• Growing need for hospices. Is this an investment opportunity?

We enjoyed the fantastic weather last week, and I hope that you have had the same. Even with beautiful weather there is still news to report. In this update we cover:

• Physiotherapy will not be moved to basic healthcare insurance. What are the consequences?
• Arts en Zorg gets contract with national police, but also faces headwinds. What is the good news / bad news?
• “M&A flood” expected in the Dutch healthcare sector after decision to close ACM department. Is this realistic?

It has been fairly quiet on the healthcare front these last few weeks due to Easter, public holidays, and school vacations. However, there is still news to report. In this update we cover:

• Acquisition in the cosmetic treatments sector. Can more consolidation be expected?
• Government proposals to improve disability insurance meets resistance. What are the most likely outcomes?
• Acquisition in the maternity care sector. Who is the entrant in the sector?
• The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets to reduce its supervision of the healthcare sector. What are the likely consequences?