"Many hospitals accept it as a fact of life that patients in a difficult social situation cannot pay their bill. For people with health problems, and then financial problems on top of that, we look for a humane solution. And if payment is really not possible, then the hospital has no other option than to write the debt off," a spokesman for ZV said.

Hospitals have a range of different solutions to the problem:

• provision of a social service in each hospital for questions over payments;
• time to pay off a bill;
• a "solidarity fund" through which money raised from gifts or fundraising events helps to alleviate some bills;
• discretionary power not to bill for certain supplements, room rent or equipment;
• allowing patients to only pay the co-pay portion of the bill, and invoice the insurance company for the rest.

Zorgnet stressed that the facilities are in place for people who are unable to pay their hospital bills, but that other defaulters would still be subject to the normal procedures for debt recovery, including the intervention of bailiffs. The organisation called on the government to take measures to help out by, for instance, allowing the newest techniques and medications to be reimbursed faster. New and costly treatments, which are not yet reimbursed by insurance funds, can leave many people facing large bills.