The reason for this report was the increasing extent that the Dutch Health Inspectorate is confronted by the procurement of prescription drugs from abroad on the Internet. The drugs available on the Internet are ones solely available by prescription in the Netherlands. Patients obtaining these drugs may damage their health. At the same time, the Internet provides new, unknown opportunities for the consumer and the patient opportunities with a positive effect on health, healthcare and welfare. The Internet is becoming increasingly popular.
Consumers now use the Internet to obtain or exchange information on health, sickness and healthcare.
More and more websites with this kind of information are appearing on the World Wide Web. These are now already estimated to exceed 100,000, worldwide. In addition, there are thousands of chat and on-line support groups and mailing lists on a wide range of health topics. The Internet gives citizens, consumers and patients all sorts of new opportunities. It provides an abundance of information and makes it possible to exchange experiences with fellow-suffers and to support one another in dealing with health problems.