The strike is a response to reform plans by Minister Vandenbroucke, who wants to get rid of the current consultation model with the medical sector. According to the doctors, that means a loss of participation and a step towards a central, government -guided care. “Today, doctors are involved in choices in healthcare, in innovation and quality assurance. That threatens to disappear,” says Kristof de Smet, head of radiology. “What threatens for the patient is less freedom of choice, longer waiting times and a two -stream model in which good care is only available for those who can pay them.”
The financial impact is also made. “Supplements are now necessary to keep hospitals financial law. If you take them away, some institutions can get into trouble,” it still sounds.