RTL Today - Interview: Much has changed about the medical profession, says Dr Maryse Storck

RTL's Pierre Weimerskirch spoke to Dr Storck about her life and experience as a medical professional and the changes she has seen over the course of her 30-year-long career.

Dr Storck started working as a GP in the year that I was born. I met her in March 2019 while I was doing a night report at the hospital in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Today, we met at her office in Bascharage, the place where she has been examining patients since 1989. The 61-year-old regards the medical profession as a her calling: "For the first five years, I never went on holiday. That was my philosophy."

After 15 years as a GP, Dr Storck started working in the hospital emergency room. She has also been making visits to local senior homes, schools, and now the Sanem prison.

"People always say to me that when I stop, they will need three new doctors to replace me", said Dr Storck. However, she still intends to work at least until 2026, perhaps even 2028.

'Let me check and see if you are right'

According to Dr Storck, patients have changed over the years and often have made up their minds about a condition before going to see a doctor.

"In the past, doctors were gods, now people come and say they have already searched online and know what they have. I then say 'alright let me check and see if you are right'."

Alcohol and knife wounds

The physician explained that one sees all kinds of things while working in an ER. And when you think you have seen everything, something new comes along, she said.

Dr Storck also noted that the number of alcohol-related interventions on the weekend has increased: "Many young people who are strongly intoxicated show up. They need a different treatment than someone who comes there every second day with a blood alcohol level of five. A young person can already be in danger with a level of 1.7."

Knife injuries also require regular intervention, a relatively new phenomenon that gives reason for concern, said Dr Storck.

Some moments are 'not exactly fun'

The conversation with Dr Storck made evident how much she lives for her profession. She was open to every question and responded honestly.

She elaborated that there are many difficult and burdensome moments in her everyday life: "You occasionally have to inform patients that they have cancer ... or there are people dying in the ER, luckily, that doesn't happen too often. We have to contact families and tell them to come and say their goodbyes. These are moments that are not exactly fun."

A life for patients

Always being there for her patients was a decision that Dr Storck took early on in her life. Looking ahead to retirement, she said that she wants to prioritise two things: travelling more and spending more time with her friends.