Surviving emergency situations

Locked out?

It’s 1:00 on a Saturday night. You just got home. You can find your house but not your keys. What do you do? Call one of the after-hours locksmiths available in town. Among them, slightly expensive but extremely efficient, Lock Expert is a structural and electronic security company which also works with the police and the Ministry of Justice. “We actually come at any hour of the day you call,” said Peter K, the owner of the company. Whether you need to unlock your door to get in or change all the locks, they are available 24 hours a day. “We charge a flat rate of €90 to open a door and the charge for materials is extra. The good thing is that if the work takes 5 seconds or half an hour, we don’t confuse the customer by negotiating. They know exactly what to expect in terms of payment and don’t have to stress about that,” he added.

Phone number: 015 760 00 04

Urgent medication

If you need medicines urgently after 18:00, or on the weekend, your best bet is the pharmacy within the Reinier de Graaf hospital. As you enter the main entrance of the building, it is located to the left of the central hall. Between 8:00 and 18:00 they function as any regular pharmacy, but out of hours they are the only emergency pharmacy open in town. “In addition to regular opening hours we are open for emergency prescriptions that cannot wait until the next business day,” according to their website. They’ll help anyone requiring medication upon discharge from hospital, or referred by the accident and emergency department of the hospital or out of hours doctor.

Phone number: 015 212 5760

Doctor Doctor

Weekends, evenings and holidays are the worst time to fall ill. Not just because you miss out on the fun, but also because your general practitioner is undoubtedly off as well. If you have a raging fever or an allergic reaction and absolutely must see a doctor, then it’s the Huisartsenpost Delft you need to head to. It’s also situated in the new Reinier de Graaf hospital, but with its own entrance to the left of the main hospital entrance. The Huisartsenpost Delft is a collaboration of all GPs from the municipalities of Delft, Nootdorp, Pijnacker, Delft, Schipluiden and Den Hoorn. All the GPs of these areas alternate after-hours duties through the year. Always call first before going so the medical assistant can give you an appoint¬ment and initial assessment if needed. In case the patient is too unwell to travel, the assistant can also suggest sending someone over for a home consultation.

Phone number: 015 251 19 30

This is an updated version of a previous Survival Guide article.

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