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The Robert Schuman hospital group has cut all ties with Dr Philippe Wilmes, terminating his contract “effective immediately”

Speaking on RTL Radio on Wednesday morning, former health minister and LSAP MP Mars Di Bartolomeo commented on the ongoing affair, suggesting that any action against Dr Wilmes would remain provisional unless the Robert Schuman hospital group (HRS) had reached a definitive decision.

Such a definitive decision had in fact already been taken earlier this month and communicated to Dr Wilmes by letter. As a reminder, Dr Wilmes faces allegations of having performed cruciate ligament surgeries on patients without medical indication.

In the termination letter, the HRS informed Dr Wilmes that his contract was being ended “effective immediately” on “serious grounds,” stating that there was no longer any basis of trust between the hospital directorate and the surgeon. The letter lays out in detail the specific accusations against the doctor, including what it characterises as “inappropriate behaviour.” Primarily referring to the alleged erroneous medical diagnoses that led to unnecessary knee surgeries.

On this point, the HRS bases its position on a report by Paris-based specialist Dr Philippe Beaufils, who analysed nine patient files and concluded that professional errors had occurred on the basis of non-justified indications. However, the contract termination is not solely based on the medical allegations.

Also today

• In the Chamber of Deputies, opposition MPs criticised the government’s position on United States policy and its handling of a dispute involving the International Criminal Court.
• Parties in the Chamber of Deputies clashed yesterday over the root causes of rising energy prices and the adequacy of the government’s response.
• Minister for Development Cooperation Xavier Bettel has announced that Luxembourg intends to further bolster its development cooperation efforts.
• US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel.
• Hundreds of masked-up students queued Wednesday to get vaccinated at the UK university campus at the heart of a deadly meningitis outbreak.
• EU lawmakers have approved a ban on AI systems generating sexualised deepfakes, after a global outcry over non-consensual nudes created by Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok.
• A Belgian court has today adjourned a case pitting TotalEnergies against a farmer seeking compensation for climate-change damage.

On air

It was chief news reader Sasha’s birthday today, so much merriment at the RTL towers. Also… tell us about your weird and wonderful pets.

The global music industry generated $31.7 billion last year, driven by online streaming, industry body IFPI said Wednesday, as it called on the sector to ensure AI-generated content compensates musicians.

• Music revenues rose 6.4 percent, marking the eleventh consecutive year of expansion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents more than 8,000 global record labels.
• Streaming accounted for nearly 70 percent of annual revenue, with paid streaming subscriptions reaching 837 million subscribers worldwide.

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