The government has presented draft law 8760, which aims to make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and responsive to patient needs. The proposed legislation, part of the ongoing 'ambulatory shift', would allow the creation of new outpatient clinics initiated directly by doctors, in addition to existing hospital outpatient facilities.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Minister of Health Martine Deprez explained that these new clinics would offer services such as minor surgical procedures, dialysis, and oncology care. However, medical imaging services would remain excluded from their remit.
All new outpatient structures would be required to operate in partnership with a hospital and comply with strict quality and planning standards. Doctors working in these facilities would also participate in the national on-call system, a measure designed to foster collaboration and prevent competition between hospitals and private clinics.
Minister Deprez stressed that the reform does not amount to the privatisation of the health system, as the law would explicitly prohibit external financial actors. The primary goal, she emphasised, is to bring care closer to patients and reduce pressure on hospitals.
Beyond these key changes, the draft law introduces the establishment of new competence networks focused on areas such as Long Covid, endometriosis, menopause, and neurodevelopmental disorders in young people. Additionally, all hospitals would be granted the option to employ an infectious disease specialist in future.
