President Schmit suggested the 2018 hospital laws are unable to respond to the current needs of the sector. He compared the regulations to geographical borders made with rulers, stating that they fail to acknowledge the different nature of each specialised medical field.
The AMMD official believes that the recent closure of the maternity unit in Ettelbruck can also be linked to the flawed hospital laws. Altough a temporary solution may allow the unit to reopen, this does not mean that the long-term issue has been resolved, Schmit argued.
In 2014, AMMD had warned that the shortage of doctors in Luxembourg would provoke extensive waiting periods in emergency rooms and for appointments with specialised practitioners.
Asked about the recent decision of Minister of Health Paulette Lenert to prevent MRIs from operating in private practices, Schmit expressed a lack of understanding for her reasoning.
Read also: Lawyer responds - Hospital law no obstacle to MRIs in private practicesThe final issue of the interview was Covid-19 and the potential for renewed infection spikes come autumn. Schmit explained that a vaccine mandate will be of help, but that the decision to intrude the personal freedoms of the people remains up to politicians. Given the small size of the country and the already existing staff shortages, he issued a warning that the population should not underestimate the consequences of a new wave of infections.
