While acknowledging his criticisms of former Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and her predecessors, Dr Schmit underscored that these concerns span a much broader timeline, spanning “15 years without any concrete solutions to the substantial problems that have accumulated” in the healthcare system.
Dr Schmit highlighted the escalating challenges in both A&E departments and specialist consultations, stressing that discussions around MRI scans represent only a fraction of the broader healthcare landscape. He advocated for a shift away from hospital-centric care, calling for “new initiatives and new concepts” to address these mounting issues.
One such initiative Dr Schmit proposed is a comprehensive digitalisation strategy, cautioning against piecemeal solutions like Direct Immediate Payment (PID), where patients are responsible only for their share of medical expenses. Despite efforts to introduce PID, uptake among general practitioners remains limited, with only 15 out of 523 GPs adopting the system as of December 2023.
On the basis of a political agreement, the AMMD developed its own software proposing a comprehensive digitalisation of various healthcare services. Dr Schmit expressed bewilderment at the lack of support for such initiatives, although he added that negotiations on digitalisation are currently underway with the new Minister of Health, Martine Deprez.
Dr Schmit emphasised the imperative of expanding medical services beyond hospital confines to ensure optimal patient access to care. He noted the existing challenges faced by many general practitioners in securing specialist appointments for their patients, advocating for a broader spectrum of out-of-hospital services.
Addressing the reluctance among doctors following the Potaschberg affair — an incident he likened to a “forced marriage” with the public sector — Dr Schmit cautioned against interpreting this as a disinterest in adopting more liberal practices.
Dr Schmit condemned the case of the French dentist who was recently barred from practising in Luxembourg due to a decade-long history of mistreating patients while profiting substantially. Dr Schmit highlighted that as early as 2016, the Ministry was aware of the dentist’s misconduct and false declarations, characterising it as a “huge problem” that warranted political intervention.
