During its general assembly on Wednesday afternoon, representatives from the AMMD slammed the government for its failed healthcare policies. The AMMD notably criticises that fewer, often older, doctors increasingly have to deal with a growing number of patients.
According to the calculations of the AMMD, Luxembourg has 2.35 doctors for every 1,000 residents, compared to 4.4 in Germany and 3.3 in France. Minister of Health Paulette Lenert thinks that the issue of staff shortages in the healthcare sector has been “well-known for years” and affects “many European countries.” According to Lenert, Luxembourg implements a variety of strategies to address the issue, including a course of study with several specialisations that is available in the Grand Duchy. For the Minister of Health, this is a good way “to familiarise future generations with the Luxembourgish system in the hope that they will then stay in the country.”
Lenert refutes the AMMD’s claim that the Ministry of Health disregards the association’s suggestions. She argued that in the context of the health roundtable (Gesondheetsdësch), which includes some 25 actors from the healthcare sector, “everyone has the opportunity to contribute and be heard.” Lenert stressed that “this works well,” adding that as recently as Wednesday, the Ministry held “good discussions” with actors “who took a very concrete stance in regard to the planned National Health Plan.” In this context, the Minister “regrets” that “such an important partner as the AMMD is so reticent,” pointing out that the association has not made any new suggestions since the summer.
Concerning on-call duty, Lenert stressed that the Ministry has proposed a remuneration of €40/hour, rather than the €22/hour mentioned by AMMD President Dr Alain Schmit in an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Thursday. However, the Minister acknowledged that determining which hours are to be compensated remains a point of contention. She hopes that the negotiations will end soon and that a solution will be found. Lenert also stated that the government has approved a further increase in remuneration.
Lenert rejected the criticism by Dr Schmit that the Hospital Federation is “lagging behind politics,” stressing that “we are engaged in objective talks.” Hospitals, like the rest of the health-care system, are supported by social security contributions and public revenues, the Minister stated.
During the interview, Lenert also addressed the issue of excessive wait times for visits with doctors and specialists or in ERs, an issue frequently raised by patients. Lenert explained that the Ministry is “working on it” and currently “does not have any information on the matter.” She stressed that “keeping waiting times short” and “understanding which sectors are affected by long waiting times and what the problems are” are top priorities for the Ministry of Health.
The situation at emergency rooms is “of particular concern,” Lenert added. The Ministry hopes that out-of-hours medical centres (maisons médicales) will help improve the situation. “People are gradually starting to accept them,” according to the Minister.
Regarding the recent resignations of six cardiologists at the Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHdN) in Ettelbruck, Lenert said that three new doctors had already applied to fill the vacant positions. As a result, the Minister is “optimistic” that the problem can be solved.
Full interview (in Luxembourgish):
