Two MPs raised criticisms that getting an appointment with a paediatrician is becoming increasingly complicated in Luxembourg.

In March, MPs André Bauler and Gilles Baum from the Democratic Party (DP) criticised in a parliamentary question that it is "an open secret" that Luxembourg is suffering from a shortage of paediatricians and that waiting times for affected patients are becoming increasingly longer.

In her reply to the parliamentary question, which was published earlier this week, Minister of Health Paulette Lenert revealed that Luxembourg has 123 paediatric specialists, 94 of whom are employed in hospitals.

The Minister explained that Luxembourg currently does not offer paediatric training. Young people wishing to train in this discipline must therefore go abroad. Unfortunately, the Minister could not provide statistics on the number of students concerned.

Finally, the Minister stated that she cannot put an exact figure on the shortage. However, she did give some figures on the number of paediatricians who will have to be replaced in the next few years, assuming that they retire at 65:

- 2022: 4

- 2023: 2

- 2024: 1

- 2025: 3

Lenert concluded by pointing out that the focus should not solely be on paediatricians, as "GPs also play an important role in providing medical care to children".