Patients are being contacted by hospitals to reschedule procedures scheduled for 7 July, as some one in three specialists and surgeons are expected to join the strike
The doctors strike announced last week will affect medical and dental procedures and appointments scheduled for Monday, 7 July. Patients are being contacted by hospitals and clinics around the country to reschedule procedures.
Doctors – including specialists and surgeons – are striking in protest at plans by the federal government to reform health care costs. It is the first strike by doctors in Belgium in nearly 25 years.
“We need to ensure that we have affordable healthcare, that fees that are transparent and that we can eliminate fraud in the sector,” federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke (pictured) told VRT. “If people want to protest that, I find that very unfortunate. It’s the patients who are the victims.”
Not contacted? Go to your appointment
Different hospitals in Belgium are affected in different ways, as some will see many of their doctors joining the strike, while some will see few. There are also differences between departments in every hospital. VRT checked in with the 13 hospitals in Antwerp province’s ZAS network and learned that roughly one in three doctors will strike.
Patients with procedures or appointments on Monday are being contacted and are asked not to contact hospitals or clinics themselves. Not all procedures are being postponed; anyone who has not been contacted should check-in for the procedure as planned. All emergency departments will be open and adequately staffed.