Dutch doctors are already facing situations where the correct use of AI is not always clear
The Netherlands should adopt a dedicated artificial intelligence strategy for healthcare, provided it remains grounded in practical application, according to the chief medical information officer at one of the country’s leading university hospitals.
Tom van der Laan, who holds that role at the University Medical Centre Groningen, was responding to an OECD report that found the Netherlands is among 22 member countries lacking a dedicated health AI strategy. Only seven of the OECD’s 38 members have such a framework in place, with a further nine partially meeting the criteria.
“For doctors and healthcare professionals on the ground, the biggest problem is not a lack of interest in AI,” Van der Laan said. “The problem is uncertainty: what is safe, what is legally acceptable, what is clinically validated, who is responsible, and how these tools should be implemented in real workflows.”
Dutch health consultancy IG&H has argued that a centralised strategy would bring greater clarity to the technology’s potential applications. “It allows for one central vision on key topics such as the safety of patient data and when and where AI can be used within the healthcare domain,” a spokesperson said.
