Wallonia | Living in Wallonia| Healthcare

Healthcare

The healthcare network in Belgium is one of the most modern and efficient in the world. Approved by the Minister of Public Health, its 311 hospitals provide 48,680 beds of which 39% are public and 61% are private.

There are more than 30,000 doctors servicing a population of approximately 10 million inhabitants.

Belgium’s great healthcare system contributes to its high standard of living:

Survey on healthcare system

IMD World Competitiveness Report 2006

medical insurance

In Belgium, medical insurance is mandatory for self-employed and salaried workers alike, and forms part of their social security liability.

For salaried workers, the contributions are deducted directly from the worker's salary by the employer. Self-employed workers are obliged to make a voluntary contribution to a social security fund for the self-employed.

It is also worth joining a mutual insurance company (mutuelle), which will reimburse (partially or fully, depending on the type of service) the cost of medical treatments and certain medicines.

You can choose from a wide range of mutual insurance companies: Socialist, Christian, liberal and neutral. Some large insurance companies also have a mutual insurance division.

A number of mutual insurance companies have their own polyclinics where the cost of treatments is almost fully refunded. Mutual insurance companies also contribute to the cost of certain medicines that are purchased on presentation of a prescription bearing the mutual insurance company's official stamp.

Unlike with medical and dental treatments, where (partial) reimbursement is made on presentation of a document certifying that the treatment has been carried out, reimbursements for the cost of medicine are made at the moment of purchase.

It is also possible to take out "supplementary" healthcare insurance, which is not mandatory, but will cover the full or partial cost of treatments/medicines that are not refunded by the mutual insurance companies.

choosing a doctor or dentist

Although fees are not regulated, the fees charged by certain "classified" doctors will correspond more or less with the amount reimbursed by the mutual insurance company. After each treatment, the doctor will provide you with a treatment certificate which will allow you to seek reimbursement from your mutual insurance company.

Doctors and dentists receive patients, mostly on an appointment basis, from Monday morning to Friday evening. There are on-call services available at weekends, either at the clinics or hospitals or to cover home visits.

The telephone numbers for these services vary from commune to commune and are displayed in the pharmacies and newspapers.

pharmacies

The pharmacies in Belgium are easily recognised their green cross signs. They are open from Monday morning to Friday evening, and often on Saturday mornings also.

A number of pharmacies within each locality take turns to provide an on-call service on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays (the addresses are displayed in the windows of all pharmacies and are changed on a monthly basis.).

Some popular medicines are available for sale over the counter.

The cost of these medicines is not reimbursed. To purchase other types of specific medicines, you need to present a prescription issued by your doctor. A partial refund is generally provided for these types of medicine.

Almost all of the medicines available on the international market can be found in Belgium, although some may be sold under a different name to what you are familiar with in your own country.

Clinics and hospitals

This includes public hospitals, private hospitals, university clinics and polyclinics. Public and private hospitals (some of which have university status) function on the basis of teams of doctors with specialties in all areas of medicine. These teams are either fully attached to the institution, or they practice externally in a private surgery. Doctors' fees and the cost of various treatments and overnight stays are fixed provided the patient is staying in a public ward.

Most of the major hospitals and clinics have a casualty department where you can consult with a doctor at any time of the night as well as at weekends and on public holidays.