The Centre hospitalier du Nord (CHdN) in Ettelbruck announced that its maternity unit will be shut down temporarily in light of staff shortages.
The shortage of emergency paediatricians has been a long-lasting problem, but is now so acute the entire unit has to close.
It is regulated by law that an emergency paediatrician must be able to reach the hospital within a short period of time. However, this can no longer be guaranteed in Ettelbruck. In turn, gynaecologists and anaesthetists also no longer want to work in such an unlawful manner.
According to RTL sources, women who are about to give birth will now be sent to CHL in Luxembourg City or to the Robert Schuman hospital in Kirchberg. However, since around 800 babies are born at the CHdN maternity unit each year, this cannot be used as a long-term solution.
Luxembourg suffers from a lack of specialised doctors, Minister of Health Paulette Lenert said in an interview with RTL on Monday morning. There were no miracle solution, and the department will most likely be shut for several weeks.
