Last year, the organisation provided medical assistance to 1,145 patients, and the trend of growing reliance on Médecins du Monde for help continues. Determining the exact cause of this rise remains challenging, Director General Sylvie Martin stated.
The NGO strives to deliver healthcare to individuals lacking social security coverage but is reaching its limits, particularly in the enrollment process for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
UHC, or CUSS when using the French acronym, is a pilot project through which anyone who can prove they live in the Grand Duchy can get health insurance.
This has long been a demand from Médecins du Monde, and in 2022, politicians finally responded by granting the organisation and four other NGOs the authority to enrol individuals for UHC based on specific criteria.
However, Médecins du Monde has temporarily suspended this enrollment.
President Dr Bernard Thill cited the overwhelming administrative burden as the reason behind this decision.
While a social worker was appointed to enrol people for UHC at Médecins du Monde, the role involved not only monthly in-person meetings with all UHC-insured individuals but also the payment of medical and pharmaceutical bills, followed by reimbursement requests from the National Health Fund (CNS) or the National Health Directorate.
“As an NGO, we are also obliged to accompany the people to the appropriate doctors. This means that this UHC programme has added so much activity that one social worker is no longer enough,” Dr Thill explained.
For the time being, Médecins du Monde aims to ensure the care of the 68 currently enrolled individuals. A meeting with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Security is scheduled for 10 July.
Despite the challenges faced, Médecins du Monde continues to advocate for UHC and urges politicians to swiftly establish a legal basis for its sustainability. The advantages of prevention are too significant to overlook, the organisation stresses.
Médecins du Monde expressed satisfaction with the Escale project, which found a new home in Esch-sur-Alzette in 2022.
This facility provides accommodation for individuals with health issues who are too ill to live on the streets but not in need of hospitalisation.
However, out of the ten available beds, four are already occupied by patients who were previously housed at the Weiler-la-Tour facility. These individuals suffer from chronic illnesses and require continuous oxygen therapy, among other treatments, making their abrupt dismissal unfeasible.
There is already a waiting list for the Escale, prompting Médecins du Monde to call upon the Ministry of Health to establish an additional structure specifically tailored to long-term patients with chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the organisation stressed the importance of retirement homes accepting elderly homeless individuals. If every retirement home were to accommodate just one such person, it would provide immense relief, Dr Thill said.
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):
