Belgian emergency crews will soon be able to drive patients to the nearest A&E across the Dutch border
Only Maastricht UMC+ can currently receive Belgian emergency patients, and the federal health service confirms that restriction is going.
Ambulances in the Belgian border region will soon be allowed to take patients to the emergency department of a nearby Dutch hospital, VRT NWS reports, citing Dutch media and confirmation from the federal public health service. At present this is technically not allowed, even when a Dutch emergency department is closer or offers more suitable care. Only Maastricht UMC+ is on the list of hospitals recognised in Belgium. Dutch ambulances, by contrast, have long been able to drive to Belgian hospitals.
Under the new arrangement, an ambulance will go to the nearest suitable hospital in an emergency, even if it lies across the border. According to Newsmonkey, all Dutch hospitals will receive the same recognition for this. The Dutch regional news site L1 speaks of a start before the end of the year. The federal health service gives no date and says a Benelux agreement must first be signed.
The main open question is reimbursement of transport and care, as the two countries have different systems. The health service is discussing this with the Dutch health ministry. Belgium already has similar arrangements with France and Luxembourg, while Germany is more complicated because each federal state has its own competence. On Tuesday the prime ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg will meet the minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia at a Benelux summit in Maastricht, VRT NWS says.