For the first time in almost a quarter of a century, Belgian doctors and dentists are taking strike action today. They are protesting against Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke's planned reforms.
What is the doctors' strike about?
Belgium's healthcare system is set to undergo major reforms in the coming years. The reforms have been in the pipeline for years and feature in the 5-way federal government’s coalition agreement. The main aim is to keep healthcare affordable, both for patients and the government. There are signs that this affordability is increasingly coming under pressure.
Federal Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Flemish socialist Vooruit) first wants to address the supplements charged by doctors who haven’t signed up to conventions on fees. Among other things, he wants to encourage doctors to work at official convention rates and wants to discourage doctors from leaving fee conventions. He also wants to introduce a cap on supplements.
The doctors’ unions argue that the minister is infringing upon doctors' freedoms and fear that ultimately patients will suffer. They predict that as a result of the reforms even more doctors will leave the conventions all together rather than join tariff agreements.
Around half the doctors in general hospitals have gone on strike. In university hospitals the figure is a mere 5%. Around twenty percent of family doctors have joined the strike.