Luxembourg is planning to introduce a system to regulate compulsory continuing professional development for medical professionals by 2028 at the latest.
At present, there are no official regulations, no checks, and consequently no consequences for medical professionals who fail to keep up to date with the latest professional standards. This shortcoming was highlighted in an RTL Radio interview on Wednesday by MP Dr Gerard Schockmel of the Democratic Party (DP).
In an interview on Thursday, representatives of the Medical Board spoke out in favour of introducing regulation. However, they noted that this would require the necessary political will. According to Minister of Health Martine Deprez, that political will is present. Responding to an RTL query, she confirmed her ministry’s commitment but pointed to limitations in personnel. “We cannot work on 50 legal projects in parallel,” she said.
The coalition agreement between the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) and the DP already stipulates that a system for regulating continuing medical education should be introduced. Minister Deprez aims to have such a system in place by 2028 at the latest. It is to be developed in collaboration with the association for continuing medical education ALFORMEC, the Medical Board, and the Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD).
Despite a politically tense atmosphere between the AMMD and the ministry, the association has signalled its willingness to engage on this specific issue. “I do think that we can work together with the Medical Board on a regulation,” said AMMD President Dr Chris Roller.
The key question, however, concerns the structure of the training model. Dr Roller noted that other countries tend to have stricter systems, sometimes using points-based models where doctors must accumulate a set number of training credits within a two-year period. However, he cautioned that such systems are not without flaws. “Sometimes they are just events simply to collect points, and that shouldn’t be the goal either,” he said, stressing the need to find a good balance between quantity and quality.
Dr Roller also emphasised that most medical professionals already stay informed as a matter of professional duty. Any doctor who takes their job seriously, he argued, would know the latest recommendations and participate in conferences and training. He pointed to the urology department at the Kirchberg hospital as an example, which holds a German certification requiring annual checks to ensure patients are treated according to current guidelines.
Medicine, he noted, is evolving rapidly, and new tools such as artificial intelligence could also help practitioners keep track of the most recent recommendations.
Once the discussion about a recognition system gets underway, questions regarding costs, checks, and potential sanctions will also need to be addressed. Dr David Heck, Secretary General of the Medical Board, argues that a middle ground must be found.
He explained that training courses can be expensive, and while a doctor is attending them, they are unable to work in their practice. As a result, he suggested that offering compensation for the time invested could serve as an incentive. He believes this would be a more constructive approach than simply imposing penalties for non-compliance. “It would be better than receiving a penalty for not having done a training course,” he said.
Minister Deprez acknowledged that the current situation, where continuing medical education is mandatory but lacks a structured system with clear rules, controls, and consequences, is problematic.
She cited a survey by the association of medical students, which found that this uncertainty is one factor deterring young doctors from choosing to work in Luxembourg. “They don’t feel confident that those who supervise them have the necessary training,” the minister explained.
Pressure on the minister is also mounting from within the majority parties. During an RTL Radio interview on Wednesday, DP MP Dr Gerard Schockmel expressed his bewilderment at the lack of progress, describing the issue as “low-hanging fruit.” In his view, it is simply a matter of deciding which country’s system to emulate.
The minister, however, pushed back against this characterisation. “We have never adopted a project from abroad as-is here in Luxembourg,” she noted, adding that if an MP wishes to make a legislative proposal based on so-called low-hanging fruit, “they are welcome to do so.”
Implementing such a system would require significant administrative resources. Minister Deprez suggested that a new administration might be needed, or alternatively, that bodies such as the Medical Board or ALFORMEC would require additional resources to handle the accreditation and validation of continuing medical education, both domestically and internationally.
The minister expressed hope that these needs will be taken into account in the next budget, effectively passing the responsibility to her CSV colleague, Finance Minister Gilles Roth.
