The Dutch health care system is allergic to preventative care. It's stunningly hard to try and just get routine things checker/done. As an Australian, having lived in four different countries, I'd say the Dutch system is the odd one out here.
The negative effects of false positives can easily outweigh the benefits of early screenings. For example, an NHS study shows that PSA antigen testing for prostate cancer is actually net harmful. [1]
Of course this isn't a blanket statement against testing in general, I'm just cautioning you against pre-judging the Dutch system as somehow less effective on the basis of "lack of preventive care" in general based on your personal experiences. It could well be that the other systems you participated in were less effective but attempting to placate anxious humans wanting to feel like they're 'doing something.'
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/17/prostate-cancer-...
Amazing when something goes awry, not great at preventing the thing going awry though they have made some good improvements recently (starting with their website debunking bullshit claims and headlines in the press).