With the unveiling of a new logo, Antwerp’s new merged hospital “Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom” (ZAS) was declared open op Wednesday. ZAS is the result of a merger between Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen (ZNA) and GasthuisZusters Antwerpen (GZA) hospitals. The merger was approved by the Belgian Competition Authority on Monday.
ZAS has nine thousand staff and a thousand doctors spread over 14 sites. This makes it the largest hospital in Belgium and one of the largest in Europe. The two hospitals had been cooperating closely since 2016.
For patients, practically nothing will change. They will continue to be able to visit same hospital sites and receive care from the same staff and doctors as before. All that will change is that they will now receive invoices with the new ZAS logo on them.
The Chair of the new hospital, the Flemish nationalist politician Els van Doesburg told journalists that "The road to the merger was long, with the challenges along the way. This is about the future of healthcare in our city and beyond."
According to the hospital’s CEO Willeke Dijkhoffz, in the first instance the merger creates more opportunities for investment.