On Friday morning, President of the Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD) Dr. Chris Roller spoke to RTL in an interview to discuss the souring relationship between the AMMD and the National Health Fund (CNS).
According to Dr. Chris Roller, president of the AMMD, the current agreement with the CNS is on its last legs, though it has not yet been fully terminated. At the beginning of October, the association decided to end its mandate during an extraordinary general meeting.
Dr Roller explained that the association’s lawyers are currently reviewing the details to propose a foundation for negotiations on a new agreement. According to Roller, the law is very clear: if the agreement is terminated, the two parties must reach a new agreement within 12 months. Otherwise, the Minister of Health will intervene to ensure patients are not left without reimbursement.
"The agreement will probably be buried on All Saints' Day. In other words, there is no going back, it will definitely be terminated", the AMMD president declared during the interview. However, AMMD officials want to present a comprehensive plan before taking action, as "it is not in the interests of doctors to abandon insured patients."
"No other solution"
The president of the AMMD admitted that the ongoing dispute with the CNS over the revaluation of the so-called "key letter value", which determines doctors’ fees, was the last straw. Discontent among doctors has been growing steadily in recent months. "We see no other solution for bringing about change in our healthcare system than to terminate this agreement with the CNS", the AMMD president told the editorial team.
He did not hide his disappointment with the CSV-DP government and Health Minister Martine Deprez. He remarked: "They promised us a lot during the election campaign, but two years later, not much has changed, especially regarding interventions in medical practices outside hospitals. The minister has no vision or concept for the future and hides behind excuses."
Regarding automatic and compulsory registration, which requires doctors to join the CNS as soon as they set up practice in Luxembourg, the AMMD wants more flexibility, similar to how the health sector functions in many other countries.
Finally, the association calls for a shift to outpatient care, allowing more services to be provided outside hospitals, in private practices or medical centres across the country. "Hospitals will not disappear by putting more resources into practices, and this could help reduce long queues in emergency rooms, in particular", Roller continued.
Roller is sceptical about the Health Minister tabling a fully fledged bill on outpatient care before the end of the year: "All we have seen so far is a draft bill of just over three pages."
