The vice president of the association of doctors and dentists in Luxembourg (AMMD), Dr. Philippe Wilmes, said Luxembourg mastered the health crisis relatively well, but that there are critical points that need to be attended to.
Depending on their specialisation, doctors were either out of work during confinement or working overtime. Most dentists were forced into technical unemployment, for example, as their work was to dangerous to carry out.
Dr. Wilmes explained: "The number of pneumologists, including lung doctors, emergency doctors and anaesthetists, is quite limited. If these professionals have to work around the clock such as was the case during Covid, then things become a big challenge quickly."
The deficit of doctors in Luxembourg is not a new problem, but has been intensified through the crisis and is now more severe than before.
"We definitely need more doctors. We need more doctors in primary care, so more GPs, and we need many specialists too."
The AMMD hopes that Minister of Health Paulette Lenert is stepping up to solve the problems soon.
Furthermore, Dr. Wilmes criticised the nomenclature, the list outlining which medical services are reimbursed at what level by the CNS, as it requires urgent updating. Teleconsultations, for example, are not yet included, something doctors had to do a lot during the first wave of the virus.
But the main stakeholders were again not consulted, according to the vice-president of the AMMD, who said he regrets that two Grand-Ducal regulations have really "fallen on them" without warning.
According to Dr. Wilmes, the government must continue an efficient communication strategy to reach those that do not follow the main media channels, preventing other diseases from worsening. The AMMD recommends that more people get the flu shot this year.
The association of doctors and dentists in Luxembourg remains convinced that a central hospital for coronavirus treatments would be the best solution to improve care and reduce the number of staff required in different places. This is one solution to combat the shortage of medical and nursing staff.
Overall, the AMMD is very satisfied with the health crisis management in Luxembourg, but wants to raise certain crucial points to be on the table soon.
