According to its website, FindelClinic began consultations began on Monday. The range of services is broad: from cardiac stress tests and travel consultations to thyroid and carotid artery ultrasounds, as well as acupuncture.
Appointments can be booked online with six doctors: three cardiologists, one general general practitioner, one internist, and the orthopaedic surgeon Dr Philippe Wilmes, who is at the centre of a national controversy over alleged unnecessary operations.
At the end of last week, the hospital Hôpitaux Robert Schuman announced that it would terminate its accreditation contract with Dr Wilmes.
The orthopaedic surgeon has had his permission to perform operations at the hospital revoked since 20 January. He is accused of having carried out unnecessary knee surgeries, allegations he strongly denies.
The provisional suspension imposed by Hôpitaux Robert Schuman is now set to become permanent. This also means that the self-employed doctor will have to give up his private practice at the hospital.
On behalf of the Health Ministry, three experts are expected to analyse the alleged medical errors attributed to Dr Wilmes and submit a report by the end of April. Based on that report, Health Minister Martine Deprez will decide on the next steps. For now, the orthopaedic surgeon is only allowed to see patients but not permitted to perform surgery.
Dr Wilmes strongly denies the allegations, as with all such cases, the presumption of innocence applies.
FindelClinic describes itself on its website as a multidisciplinary medical centre. Around 15 doctors, primarily specialists, are expected to soon start working there as part of an interdisciplinary network. Dr Schmit and Dr Wilmes clarified in an RTL interview last autumn that the FindelClinic is not a hospital. The aim, they said, is to improve access to medical care and strengthen cooperation between doctors outside the hospital setting.
The project has been controversial from the outset, not least because its name suggests that it is indeed a hospital. The Collège Médical criticised this in a letter last autumn, arguing that the term ‘clinic’ is reserved for hospitals under Luxembourg’s hospital law.
In the past, the two founders, in their roles as president and vice-president of the Association des Médecins et Médecins-Dentistes (AMMD), advocated for more liberalisation of the medical sector, arguing that Luxembourg is no longer financially attractive for doctors. Their decision to involve external investors such as businessman Marc Giorgetti and banker Marc Hoffmann in the FindelClinic project also drew criticism.
In an RTL interview, however, Health Minister Martine Deprez downplayed the announcement of the FindelClinic. “This is a real-estate project. It’s the rental of property or equipment, which is what is stated in its purpose. There is no obligation to inform the ministry when undertaking such a project,” she asserted.
Neither Dr Wilmes or his colleague and co-founder, Dr Alain Schmit, were available for an interview about the launch.
