Point of blockage for several weeks, the federal government finally validated this Friday an agreement with Flanders and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation concerning the issuance of future Inami numbers for medical students. The Minister of Higher Education of FWB, Valérie Glatigny, confirmed this information by press release.
As a reminder, this famous Inami number is necessary for a doctor to practice. But since the introduction of the federal quota in 1997, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation has always graduated more doctors than the number of Inami numbers which were normally allocated to it. Thus some French-speaking students found themselves unable to exercise when they had successfully completed their course.
Thus, from 2023 the entrance exam for the medical course will turn into a competition on the French-speaking side, since a limited number of places will be determined in advance. Thus, students who have passed their course will be certain of obtaining an Inami number and therefore the possibility of exercising, as is currently the case in Flanders.
A new calculation of the quota of Inami numbers will be carried out by 2028 taking better account of the needs of the field. The minimum quotas for 2028 are thus set at 1058 for the Flemish Community and 711 for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, specifies Minister Glatigny in her press release. Pending the application of this new agreement, all students who graduated before 2028 will be issued a number so that they can still practice.
In addition, the government wanted to make up for the shortage of doctors that exists in certain geographical areas. “An additional 10% increase in the sub-quota proposed for 2028 for general practitioners will apply. This implies that the overall quota for 2028 will exceptionally increase from 711 to 744 for the French Community and from 1058 to 1104 for the Flemish Community” , announces the press release.
