How exactly are children looked after at the Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHdN)? The question has come up several times in recent weeks, in part because a mother and her child were separated following a car accident, with the woman treated at Ettelbruck while her son was taken to the children's clinic at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). The CHdN has pointed out that there are general procedures in place and that the paediatric services were expanded some time ago.
Since 1 February 2024, the CHdN has operated a community paediatric clinic, open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. All children presenting with a mild or moderate emergency are treated on site, for instance a child who has had a fever for a day but remains in reasonable general condition, or one who has twisted an ankle. More serious emergencies fall directly under the responsibility of the CHL's children's clinic. A case is automatically classed as a serious emergency whenever an ambulance has been called, as Dr Laurent Kintzelé, general medical coordinator at the CHdN, explained.
It is not always easy for those on the scene, Kintzelé said, or for the emergency crews, to gauge just how serious a child's condition is, and doing so requires specialist expertise. There had been one or two cases, he added, in which a child ended up being in a more serious condition than initially thought and had come to the CHdN by ambulance, only to have to be transferred on to the CHL.
Time, he pointed out, is inevitably lost in those situations, which in the worst case can mean a loss of chances for the child. In that context, he underlined once again that an ambulance should only be called where a serious injury is involved.
As for how many children are being brought to the CHdN and treated there, the figures are already sitting at a fairly high level after a relatively short time.
In 2025, Kintzelé said, the department handled around 9,700 children a year, or roughly 25 to 30 a day, which was already a hefty level of activity. Precise numbers were not always available, but from experience, he added, and having spoken again to the paediatricians, only around 5% of those children had to be sent on to the CHL.
Around 95% are therefore treated in Ettelbruck, with feedback generally very positive, which is why there are no plans to change the set-up. Part of the reason is that the paediatricians who staff the community paediatrics department from 8am to 8pm also have other duties to attend to.
At the same time, Kintzelé explained, they are on 24-hour on-call duty at the maternity ward on the same day, meaning that if an emergency arises with a newborn, they are immediately on the spot. The CHdN takes the view that this represents more than enough of a workload for the paediatrician, who also has to be available at night, and that adding to it would be a shade too much.
On waiting times, Kintzelé said these were not excessive. Children are generally taken in first, though of course the seriousness of the medical problem is also weighed in. Where a wait does drag on, a system is in place under which parents are notified by SMS when it is their child's turn. In the meantime, they can also head to the cafeteria or step outside with the child to make the time pass a little more easily.
In the specific case of a mother and child separated after a car accident, Kintzelé explained, an adult is always taken to the nearest hospital, unless it is clear from the outset that the facility in question is not equipped to treat the particular injuries.
