The Dutch word fuik means a fish trap: a cage that fish swim into easily but cannot escape. A zorgfuik (care trap) is a situation in which a person becomes trapped in the healthcare and social welfare system — not because of any single mistake, but through an accumulation of institutional failures.
Someone needs help. They contact a GP, a municipality, a mental health service, a welfare agency. Each has its own procedures, waiting lists and criteria. Nobody has the full picture. Nobody has the mandate to make a decision that cuts across institutional boundaries.
The person is passed from one institution to the next. Forms, referrals, waiting. Months pass. The situation worsens. At some point, it becomes a crisis — and even then, each institution sees only its own piece of the problem.
"Nobody said: I have the overview. I will make sure this gets resolved."
GP, municipality, mental health, welfare, insurer — each with its own door, its own waiting room, its own assessment.
Institutions refer back and forth. The person does the coordinating. Nobody is responsible for the whole.
Situations worsen during wait times. The system was not designed to detect or prevent this.