Towards a society with equal opportunities for health
In the Netherlands, people with lower incomes live shorter lives and spend significantly fewer years in good health than those with higher incomes. Behind these inequalities often lies a combination of challenges related to health, housing, debt, employment and financial security. GelijkGezond is developing an innovative approach to reduce this health gap by providing support that better reflects people’s everyday realities.
Much of the support system in the Netherlands is organised around separate individual issues, while real-life challenges are often deeply interconnected. People with lower incomes are more likely to face multiple social, financial and medical problems at the same time. As a result, many people struggle to navigate fragmented systems of care and support, while health inequalities continue to grow.
There is a strong need for sustainable and scalable solutions that better connect health, wellbeing and financial security.
GelijkGezond organises support for people in vulnerable situations by giving professionals more time, flexibility and organisational capacity. The initiative works with professionals who stand alongside residents and help them find suitable solutions for complex challenges across multiple areas of life.
Together with municipalities, health insurers and social organisations, GelijkGezond is developing an approach in which the everyday lives of people, rather than the system itself, are placed at the centre.
By aligning support more closely with the daily realities of residents, GelijkGezond contributes to more appropriate support, greater financial security and an improved quality of life. At the same time, the initiative demonstrates how investing in prevention and integrated support can help reduce health inequalities and ease pressure on healthcare and social support systems.
