Doctors chain Zorg BV, a part of Co-Med, has been declared bankrupt at a court in Maastricht, after weeks of uncertainty.

The chain, which served 50,000 patients, was effectively brought to a standstill two weeks ago when insurers stopped working with it. They feared that shortages meant that its patients were not getting adequate access to doctors.

Dutch media reported that the bankruptcy is now going ahead and lawyers Dimitry Aertssen and Rob Lemmers will seek to solve as many of Co-Med’s debts as possible. Before the bankruptcy, several suppliers also declared themselves insolvent due to unpaid salaries thought to total €400,000.

Co-Med, which had two locations in Amsterdam and eight others in The Hague, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Breda, Enschede and Helmond, was criticised by Dutch health inspectors last year for poor availability that equated to a “large risk for patient safety”.

Insurance company Zorgverzekeraar CZ told NOS that the patients would not be affected as they have found other doctors. The health inspectorate will be responsible for forwarding their files.