Youth health care in The Netherlands: a bird's eye view.

In the context of the conference on cross-national comparisons of child health, a short overview is given of youth health care in the Netherlands. After a brief explanation of the financing of the Dutch health care system, trends in child mortality are shown. A short description is presented of obstetrical care, which features independent midwives and 35% home deliveries; the organization of well baby clinics, which provide for 10 visits in the first 15 months and care for 95% of all children; and the school health services, which cover nearly all children.