10 places in Limburg are covered by this guide, together home to about 694,752 inhabitants at municipal level. Their residents are treated at 1 of the twenty DATO-certified centres in the Netherlands. Most places in this province fall under NOK Heerlen in Heerlen. With a valid indication and a GP referral, weight loss surgery is covered by Dutch basic insurance; you pay only the €385 deductible in 2026.
- Places in this guide: 10
- About 694,752 inhabitants (municipal figures)
- Which DATO centres serve these places: 1
- Largest serving centre by volume: NOK Heerlen
- Indicative upper limit for adults with obesity: roughly 108,000
Which DATO centres serve Limburg?
NOK Heerlen
NOK Heerlen is located in Heerlen and performed 768 primary procedures in 2024, number 4 of the twenty Dutch centres by volume. In this guide it is the centre for 10 places in Limburg: Maastricht, Venlo, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen and 6 more. Whether this centre is covered in full depends on your insurer's contracts; check before your referral.
| Centre | Location | Primary procedures 2024 | Places from Limburg |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOK Heerlen | Heerlen | 768 | 10 |
Places in Limburg and their centre
This table gives each place in Limburg included here, along with its population (municipal level) and the centre that residents are normally sent to. A detailed Dutch-language page exists for each of them.
| Place (Dutch page) | Inhabitants | Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Maastricht | 126,026 | NOK Heerlen |
| Venlo | 104,195 | NOK Heerlen |
| Sittard-Geleen | 92,461 | NOK Heerlen |
| Heerlen | 87,764 | NOK Heerlen |
| Roermond | 61,431 | NOK Heerlen |
| Weert | 51,498 | NOK Heerlen |
| Kerkrade | 45,490 | NOK Heerlen |
| Venray | 44,807 | NOK Heerlen |
| Horst | 44,242 | NOK Heerlen |
| Landgraaf | 36,838 | NOK Heerlen |
Limburg place by place
Maastricht has about 126,026 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 19,700 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Maastricht has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Maastricht as well.
Venlo has about 104,195 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 16,300 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Venlo has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Venlo as well.
Sittard-Geleen has about 92,461 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 14,400 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Sittard-Geleen has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Sittard-Geleen as well.
Heerlen has about 87,764 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 13,700 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Heerlen has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Heerlen as well.
Roermond has about 61,431 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 9,600 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Roermond has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Roermond as well.
Weert has about 51,498 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 8,000 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Weert has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Weert as well.
Kerkrade has about 45,490 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 7,100 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Kerkrade has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Kerkrade as well.
Venray has about 44,807 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 7,000 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Venray has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Venray as well.
Horst has about 44,242 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 6,900 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Horst has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Horst as well.
Landgraaf has about 36,838 inhabitants at municipal level. Residents are usually referred to NOK Heerlen in Heerlen; applying the national obesity rate gives an indicative upper limit of about 5,700 people with obesity. The Dutch page for Landgraaf has local details, and there are Dutch pages for the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and mini bypass from Landgraaf as well.
Neighbouring provinces
If a centre in a neighbouring province is closer to your home or better suits your insurance, you can also look there. Limburg borders North Brabant, Gelderland. Each province page lists its centres and their 2024 volumes.
Aftercare from Limburg
Expect at least five years of check-ups once you have had surgery. Take Vitalys: appointments follow at 6, 12 and 18 months, after that annually up to the five-year mark, with a blood test each time. Many centres combine visits with contact online. Comparing centres from Limburg? Ask what can be done at a distance and what the out-of-hours contact options are. Once aftercare is over, lifelong WLS vitamins and an annual blood test remain, usually arranged by your GP.
How many people in Limburg have obesity?
In 2024, obesity affected 15.6 percent of Dutch adults nationwide, the Health Monitor of RIVM, the GGDs and Statistics Netherlands reports; GGD regions ranged from 11.6 to 19.2 percent. If you apply this to the approximately 694,752 residents of the places listed above, it gives an indicative upper bound of around 108,000 people living with obesity. Why an upper bound? The percentage covers adults only, while the resident numbers include children as well. Figures per region are available on vzinfo.nl.
Not everyone in this group is eligible for an operation. It requires a BMI of 40, or a BMI of 35 together with a condition linked to weight, for example high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or type 2 diabetes. Other people may be better suited to a gastric balloon, medication under supervision or a lifestyle programme. Read more about ways to treat obesity.
Getting weight loss surgery from Limburg: step by step
- Register with a GP in your municipality; the GP is the gatekeeper for hospital care.
- Check your insurance: is NOK Heerlen contracted by your insurer, or another centre that suits you better?
- Go to an information session. These are frequently held online, so check whether one is offered in English.
- Pre-operative screening with a psychologist, dietitian and internist.
- Surgery and follow-up: you stay in hospital briefly and then have check-ups for five years or more. That is why the journey from where you live in Limburg is important.
Choosing a centre as a resident of Limburg
You are free to pick a different centre from the one most of your townspeople use. Look at the journey over five years of aftercare, how long the waiting lists are, the contracts your insurer has, and whether you can get information in English. With just one main centre for this province, checking centres in adjacent provinces is worthwhile too. See picking an obesity clinic and cost and insurance for more.
Useful Dutch terms for residents of Limburg
Huisarts: your GP and gatekeeper to hospital care. Verwijzing: the referral letter you need. Eigen risico: the mandatory deductible, 385 euros in 2026. Basispakket: the basic insurance package that covers weight loss surgery. Huisartsenpost: the out-of-hours GP service for urgent questions in the evening and at weekends.
More in English
Sources
- Volumes by centre, sourced from DICA's DATO Annual Report 2024
- Population numbers from CBS, sourced via citypopulation.de and AlleCijfers.nl
- Percentages for obesity from the Gezondheidsmonitor 2024 (CBS, GGD, RIVM)
Frequently asked questions
In this guide, places in Limburg are served by 1 DATO-certified centre: NOK Heerlen. Most places fall under NOK Heerlen.
10 places, together about 694,752 inhabitants at municipal level. Each has a detailed page in Dutch.
Yes. If you have a valid indication and a referral from your GP, the Dutch basic insurance pays for it. Your own contribution is the compulsory deductible, which is 385 euros in 2026.
15.6 percent of all adults in the country have obesity. Using this figure for the places in the guide gives an upper limit, as a rough indication, of about 108,000 people.
Yes, that is possible if your insurance covers it. Keep the journey in mind: follow-up care takes at least five years.
WeightWorks Clinics (Amersfoort): 1,598 primary operations in 2024, as reported in the DATO annual report.
Request a referral from the huisarts, your GP. Go for a bariatric centre your insurance company has a contract with this year, if possible.
Plenty of medical staff in the Netherlands, both doctors and nurses, speak English. Materials and group sessions, on the other hand, are often Dutch; ask the centre ahead of time.
Also available in Dutch. Author: Gijs Bodenstaff. Last reviewed: September 2026.