In a press release, Philippe Devos, president of ABSyM, rebels against the opposition parties.
For Absym, the Belgian Association of Medical Syndicates, these “abuse the COVID-19 pandemic to introduce free medicine”.
In the press release, Philippe Devos attacks four parties (see below) who want to prevent additional fees for COVID-19 patients. Bills to this effect will also be discussed in the House Public Health Commission tomorrow Friday.
For the Absym, which is said “shocked”, these bills set patients against their doctors and give the impression that doctors want to get rich on the backs of their patients infected with coronavirus. “Simply indecent” for the Association which repeats that “free medicine does not exist” and there is always “someone who pays the bill: the cost will only shift to other sections of the population, already heavily impacted. Absym is opposed to it.”
The details of the press release on the draft laws and what the Absym thinks:
The sp.a bill provides for a total ban on fee supplements for all patients infected or suspected of being infected with the Coronavirus. An amendment from Vlaams Belang seeks to ensure that the ban on supplements is extended to future pandemics.
The PS bill stipulates that hospital costs due to the coronavirus, which are not covered by compulsory health insurance or by the budget, cannot be borne by the patient. The PTB / PVDA also has its proposal, it wants to remove the user fee for all the specialties of the first line (generalists, specialists, dentists, etc …).
ABSyM is shocked at this populist way in which opposition parties are taking advantage of the Coronavirus crisis to try to introduce their agenda in favor of free medicine.
- The sp.a law proposal, for example, makes no sense, since by definition and due to the current law in force, no supplement can be billed in the event of admission of patients infected with Coronavirus to care intensive or in a single room because of their risk of infection.
- The PS’s proposal implies that no contribution from the patient can be requested. A purely gratuitous act therefore. In addition, we can also read that the PS requests that the ambulance transportation of all suspected Covid-19 patients be free. This is outright discrimination. Why should Covid-19 patients who develop pneumonia not pay their ambulance fees and patients who develop another form of pneumonia should pay them?
- Finally, the proposal of the PTB / PVDA comes down to “free medicine”. The budgetary impact of this proposal is not negligible because health insurance will have to finance the user fee itself, which will no longer be borne by the patient. Consultations, visits and opinions alone represented, in 2018, an amount of 505 million euros, for a total amount of 844 million euros in user fees. Currently, all hospitals in the country are in bankruptcy. State rescue will be required by the end of the year. Withdrawing an additional share of their income will condemn them to death in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
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