Claude Schummer tried to set up his own vaccination strategy

After a week's absence of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman's General Director, new information pointing to the potential causes behind the conflict between Schummer and the hospital group has emerged.

According to information obtained by RTL, Schummer tried to launch his own private vaccination campaign, in an attempt to bypass the official government strategy. In order to carry out this project, vaccines were to be acquired abroad and a private campaign was launched in collaboration with an insurance company.

RTL's sources specify that Schummer acted on his own accord, without informing the administrative board. The board's members appear to have found Schummer's actions so unacceptable that they decided to part ways with the latter in an extraordinary meeting held last Wednesday.

Rumours that Schummer had ordered 100,000 doses from Pfizer were denied by the company following an enquiry by the newspaper Tageblatt.

Pfizer specified that informal conversations with Schummer did take place, but no order was placed. According to our sources, Schummer tried to obtain vaccines from several other places as well, but none of his attempts were successful.

The Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD) issued a rather cryptic press release last Wednesday, before the recent allegations had been made public. In its statement, the AMMD welcomed the initiative to privately buy vaccine doses in order to vaccinate, for instance, cross-border workers. However, the AMMD also specified that this was a course of action taken by Hôpitaux Robert Schuman specifically.

Schummer has served as the general director of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman since 2017. Prior to this position, he was the AMMD's general secretary for ten years.

Reaction by Hôpitaux Robert Schuman

On Monday morning, Marc Glesener, a spokesman for Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, stated that the hospital group could neither confirm nor deny this information.

Glesener stressed that Hôpitaux Robert Schuman as an institution has at no point planned to set up a private or alternate vaccination campaign. Such a course of action is "absolutely unacceptable" for the hospital group.

Upon enquiry, whether Schummer still served as the hospital's general director, Glesener once again simply stated that Schummer had not returned to his office since last Monday.