ADR MP Jeff Engelen questioned Minister of Health Etienne Schneider on the state of maternity facilities in the Grand Duchy, asking if it was true there were insufficient beds for premature babies, and if expectant mothers had been transferred to hospitals in neighbouring countries to give birth.
Schneider responded there were currently 14 beds in the neonatal intensive care ward belonging to the paediatric clinic in Luxembourg, with a maximum of 22.
In 2016 and 2017 the occupation rates reached 100%, at which point the CHL management chose to add two additional cots.
There were permanently between 16 and 19 babies on the ward, which was originally designed for 14 (7 double rooms with incubators). The occupation ratio in 2018 was 97%, with full capacity just 47% of the time.
Schneider also explained that mothers were transferred in cases of extreme premature birth or high risk births, to ensure the child was brought into the world in the best possible conditions.
Last year there were 35 transfers abroad or to the Bohler clinic, which has 7 beds in the non-intensive neonatal ward. The same number is expected again for 2019, with 32 transfers reached by 12 November.
The Minister went on to say that the number of births had risen in recent years, from 5,260 in 2003 to around 7,700 in 2019.
