PS and Ecolo believe that this file is crucial for the accessibility of healthcare in the provinces of Hainaut and Namur. The MR, on the other hand, believes that organizing a master’s degree program will not alleviate the problem and will only lead to unnecessary expenses and sub-localism. While we are not taking sides in this debate, it is clear that the controversy also highlights the French-speaking authorities’ passivity towards the shortage of doctors, particularly general practitioners.
The issue stems from the numerus clausus, which is a federal policy and is controlled by the northern part of the country. French-speakers have historically believed that this policy is the root of the shortage of doctors and that increasing the number of graduates would result in more doctors. However, there has been no concerted effort from Francophones to address this problem.
The Walloon region has established an impulsive fund that allows young doctors to practice in municipalities facing shortages, but this does not fully address the problem. The organization of primary care is also in question, and mutuals have suggested various solutions like medical houses, sharing secretariats and premises, and allowing GPs to delegate some of their work to nurses or caregivers. These solutions require consultation between different levels of power and healthcare actors.
In summary, if the issue of a master’s degree program in medicine in Mons and Namur is motivated by the concern for accessible healthcare, then the organization of primary care should also become a priority for the government.
PS and Ecolo, in the name of the accessibility of care in the provinces of Hainaut and Namur, consider that this file is essential. The MR thinks that the organization of a master will not solve the problem that it is an unjustified expense and sub-localism. We know the two opposing theses, we are not going to decide between them here. But implicitly, this controversy also reveals the passivity of the French-speaking authorities in the face of the problem of the shortage of doctors, especially general practitioners.
Closed number
The problem is that there is a numerus clausus, that it is federal and locked by the north of the country. It’s the classic shot. A file split between federal for the number, the federation for studies and the region for the organization of care. However, French-speakers have historically considered that the main problem came from the numerus clausus, that by graduating more, we would have more doctors.
This is undoubtedly completely true, but from the moment when it was necessary to note that this file was blocked, the Francophones did not put in place a concerted strategy. The Walloon region has decided on an impulsive fund which allows the installation of young doctors in municipalities in shortage. The future explains this morning that there are 146 municipalities in shortage, especially in Luxembourg, in the south of the province of Liège and Namur. But it does not, for the moment, solve the problem.
Organization of care
It is the whole organization of first-line care that is in question. Mutuals have pointed to other possible measures. Like the territorial organization in a medical house. Doctors can share premises and a secretariat. It exists more and more, but still too little. There has also been talk for a long time of favoring the possibility for general practitioners to offload part of their work to auxiliaries, for example nurses or caregivers who might, for example, vaccinate, treat a small wound, or take the basic parameters and return GPs more available. So many organizational solutions that require consultation between levels of power and with health actors.
In short, if the question of the master’s degree in medicine in Mons and Namur is motivated by a real concern for the accessibility of care, it would be logical for the question of the organization of primary care to also become a question of government.
In conclusion, the debate surrounding the creation of a master’s degree in medicine in Mons and Namur highlights a larger issue in the French-speaking region of Belgium – the shortage of general practitioners and the lack of a coordinated strategy to address it. Instead of focusing solely on increasing the number of graduates, officials must also consider the organization of first-line care and facilitating the offloading of work to auxiliaries. It is time for the government to take a proactive approach and work with health actors to implement effective long-term solutions.
