On Friday morning, the new director of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, Dr Marc Berna, was a guest on RTL Radio.
MRI scanners should remain under the control of hospitals to ensure continued high quality of service and proper working conditions for staff, according to Dr Berna.
On Friday, the first private practice with an MRI scanner was supposed to open in Potaschberg/Grevenmacher. However, Minister of Health Paulette Lenert recently prohibited the use of this machine for the time being. Dr Berna defended Lenert's decision on Friday morning, but nevertheless acknowledged that the waiting lists for the 11 MRI scanners in Luxembourg are "still too long".
There is a need for additional machines, and Dr Berna stressed that hospitals are "not opposed" to the creation of decentralised networks aimed at bringing certain services, such as the MRI scanner, closer to patients. However, the head of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman argued that this must be done "in close cooperation with hospitals".
What must definitely be avoided, according to Dr Berna, is the creation of a second, private market, which would be in competition with Luxembourg's hospitals. Dr Berna pointed out that hospitals are already facing staff shortages on a "highly competitive market". Adding even more competitors in the form of external structures, which can offer more regulated working hours and do not require staff to work on-call, would lead to a situation in which "nobody would want to work in hospitals anymore," Dr Berna warned.
Covid-19 situation in hospitals currently 'rather calm'
Regarding the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman stated that the situation in hospitals is currently "rather calm". Dr Berna explained that the reason for this is that the Omicron variant is "less aggressive" compared to previous variants.
The vaccines also significantly improved the situation in the winter of 2021/2022. In Hong Kong, for instance, the vaccination rate is much lower compared to Luxembourg, which has led to many more people dying from the Omicron variant, Dr Berna pointed out.
As for the next winter season, the director of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman stressed that the focus must be on vaccinating all of those who have not received a single dose so far.
