Based in Brussels, Healthcare Belgium is an association of hospitals and companies specialised in health-care services. It was set up in 2007 by the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO), of which Thomaes is also CEO. The goal is to position Belgium as an international centre of medical expertise.
After four years of building contacts through diplomatic meetings and royal missions, mostly in the Middle East, Russia and the former Soviet Republics, the work is starting to pay off. In July, the association signed a deal with Saudi Arabia for half a million euros per year. In return, Belgian hospitals and companies will train specialists, help patients that require specialised treatment, give second opinions and advise on the organisation of hospitals. There are even plans to build a Belgian hospital in Djeddah, the second-biggest city in Saudi Arabia.
Partnerships had already been sealed with Kazakhstan in October of last year and with Kuwait in April this year. In Kazakhstan, the main goal is to set up a nuclear medical centre that specialises in cancer diagnostics and therapy through radiation techniques. In Kuwait, plans for fertility and breastscreening centres are in development. With Russia and Abu Dhabi, negotiations are reaching the final stage.
Radiology is a Belgian speciality and, unlike most countries, Belgium has a surplus of radiologists. Flemish companies Agfa HealthCare and Radiomatix, for instance, are world leaders in the area. Agfa is specialised in high-tech solutions, while Radiomatix offers radiology services through the Belgian Radiology Group, a network of more than 250 radiologists.
For these companies, the contacts of Healthcare Belgium are instrumental in broadening their network. They often have centres in many parts of the world, but still doors have been opened that otherwise would have remained shut. “Thanks to their neutrality as a non-profit organisation, it’s easier for them to reach the higher political levels than for commercial players like us,” explains Herman Raats, export manager at Agfa.
Radiomatix provides training of radiologists in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kazakhstan but, in the meantime, also helps out via tele-radiology. This means that images such as X-rays, CTs and MRIs are sent to Belgian radiologists who then interpret them and give advice on the treatment.
“The reason why we focus on the Middle East and the former Soviet Republics is that their health-care systems often lag behind,” says Herwig Fleerackers, general manager at Healthcare Belgium. “They not only need more hospitals and medical staff but also better education.”
He feels that Belgium has a good reputation in these regions. “Belgians are seen as being rather modest and open to other cultures. The fact that we’re a kingdom also plays to our advantage in the Middle East.”
Fleerackers admits that the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, such as Saudi Arabia, are interesting from an economic point of view. “They have a lot of resources, and we have the guarantee that we’ll receive a fair reward for our services.” For the same reason, patients of these countries are interesting to treat in hospitals here because they also spend their money outside the clinic: at the airport, in hotels and at restaurants.
It is important, though, not to promote Belgium as a medical tourism destination, Fleerackers says, where foreign patients would receive priority treatment. But he does think that foreign patients could bring in some much-needed cash. “Hospitals are in need of extra funds, especially in this difficult economic period. It’s a shame that there is no political will in Belgium, in contrast to Germany for example, to attract more foreign patients.”
Still, the long-term goal of Healthcare Belgium is to make sure that their partners can take care of their own patients all by themselves. “We train their doctors, but also upgrade their medical education programmes and organisation so that in the future they will have the staff and the methods to work independently,” says Fleerackers. He feels confident that within three years, for example, local staff will be able to take over the Belgian hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Radiomatix also says it wants the radiology services in the Middle East to eventually be self-sufficient. “We will not deny the economic potential of these markets,” says radiologist Stefaan Gryspeerdt of the City Hospital in Roeselare, “but equally important for us is to reduce the unnecessarily high mortality rates in these countries due to a lack of radiology services. A correct and precise diagnosis is vital for saving the life of a patient.”
One of Healthcare Belgium’s more ambitious projects is the Robotic Surgery Institute (ORSI) of the OLV Hospital in Aalst. It is a training centre for surgeons to learn to operate from another location with robotic arms. The hospital has signed a deal with Qatar to help setting up a robot surgery centre there. They regularly receive patients and doctors from Saudi Arabia. Thomaes even envisions providing partner countries with telesurgery in the not-so-distant future: surgery with the use of a robot over the internet. “Technically, it’s already possible.”
Fabian Laeveren, manager of ORSI, agrees but thinks it will take some time before it can become daily practice. “There are definite risks because you rely on the stability of the internet connection,” he explains. “There would also be the need for a legal framework that defines the accountability of the specialist who works from a distance and the team that is at the patient’s side. This is a delicate problem that will not be solved tomorrow.
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