Hospitals Bruges and Ostend join forces with UZ Gent

For example, they will work closely together to provide training for healthcare providers and promote research and innovation in healthcare. They also strive to make quality patient care as accessible as possible. Both parties believe that the public sector must remain a guiding factor in healthcare more than ever.

“Today I am incredibly proud that we are going to work even more closely with UZ Gent. Two public hospitals, which stand for quality care for everyone, who strategically anchor their collaboration. Our partnership will mainly be of added value for the patient, but also for both hospitals “, says Pablo Annys, chairman of the AZ Sint-Jan Brugge-Oostende AV. “Care is a basic good, and the public sector must continue to play an important role – alongside private players – to keep that care high-quality and affordable. In a partnership, we anchor, as it were, the public care of today and of the future”, continues Pablo Annys.

Partnership in training

UZ Gent will allow trainee doctors to follow part of their training at AZ Sint-Jan Brugge-Oostende AV. Doctors affiliated with one of the two hospitals will be able to continue training in the field of new techniques in the other hospital. The training programs are also open to both institutions. UZ Gent will in turn be responsible for the organization of a high-quality offer of postgraduate and other training. Ghent University is also committed to lifelong learning.

Clinical studies and other forms of scientific research

In the field of scientific research, there will be a common platform to participate in clinical studies and other forms of scientific research. HIRUZ (Health, Innovation and Research Institute UZ Gent) and Ghent University are involved in this as partners.

Patient Care Partnership

Both hospitals will ensure that doctors with a specific expertise or subspecialty will provide patient care in both places. There is thus an exchange of doctors from UZ Gent to AZ Sint-Jan and from AZ Sint-Jan to UZ Gent. This makes it possible to offer the best possible expertise locally for specific diseases. The doctor moves instead of the patient.

AZ Sint-Jan and UZGent will jointly develop a quality system so that procedures, outcome and quality assurance are objectively embedded in the functioning of the care offer of both hospitals.