‘Introduce obligatory psychological check-up for doctors’

Five doctors per year commit suicide on average in Flanders. “But this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ghent University professor of general medicine Dirk Avonts. “This statistic doesn’t reveal anything about the psychological problems faced by GPs, which can also lead to suicide.”

Avonts proposed a medical check-up similar to the screening of pilots, in which not only the sight and hearing are tested but also mental health. The assessment should be obligatory, he said. “Studies show that doctors are not inclined to get help at an early stage if there are problems,” he said.

Belgian doctors’ union BVAS  does not agree with the proposal, according to chair Marc Moens, who pointed out that steps have been taken by commission to ensure that doctors can discuss problems with colleagues. The union is, he said, setting up more concrete initiatives, first at the local level.

“But an obligatory check-up will create more stress among people who already have a difficult time,” said Moens. “And how are you also going to organise an assessment of about 42,000 doctors in Belgium?”

Federal public health minister Maggie De Block, meanwhile, is working on a national emergency number for doctors with psychological concerns.