The pandemic is tightening its stranglehold on Luxembourg and on our lives but the country's healthcare sector is fighting to respond to the ongoing crisis as efficiently as possible.
Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and a panel of experts presented a number of new measures at a press briefing this Thursday morning.
Health officials have coordinated efforts with the CNS to bring to life a centralised platform for tele-consultations. The new eConsult platform can be accessed here. The platform allows patients to get in touch with doctors via video conference.
Elderly patients who may struggle with the internet can of course still contact GPs and other doctors via phone but all other individuals are encouraged to use the online platform. "It is extremely important that patients use the platform in order to guarantee the safety of these tele-consultations," CNS director Christian Oberlé explained. The medical fees and reimbursement procedures for tele-consultations will be the same as for regular consultations. Prescriptions will automatically be sent to pharmacies.
There are three new health centres ("centres de soins avancés") in Kirchberg, in Esch, and in Ettelbruck. Dr Pierre Hertz explained that these centres are open to patients who present symptoms associated with coronavirus but also for all other patients. Strict safety measures are in place and patients will be split into groups. 219 people have been treated at these new centres as of Wednesday evening. An additional 75 patients headed to the centres on Thursday morning.
Dr Romain Nati explained that Luxembourg is also participating in the international "Discovery Project." The main goal of the large-scale project is to test existing medication and pharmaceutical drugs in order to determine if they can be used to treat patients suffering from coronavirus. Around 1,000 people will participate in this unprecedented study. It remains unclear how many Luxembourgish patients will take part. Four different kinds of drugs will be tested.
Dr Carlo Ahlborn explained that regular dentists are closed in Luxembourg. Patients can, however, still call their dentists as is currently the case with GPs. There are three dental emergency centres that remain open seven days a week: one in the north, one in the centre, and one in the south. Dr Ahlborn added that the number of dental emergency centres may be increased depending on demand.
