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BELGIUM

Basic Medical Education

All of the medical faculties are preparing for the external visitation January 2005. It always is the moment for changes. It traditionally starts with the self-reflection document, and that means discussion and evaluation on the options and effect of the implemented innovations.

Vocational Training

The new introduction of limited placed in clinical specialty training, which is operational now, causes the expected problems of GP recruitment: for the 100 GP training places, we for our department have at the beginning of the “flexible selection year” only 45 starting candidates. The expectation is that others will change during this year to general practice as a second choice.

After getting his doctoral degree, Jan Degryse is nominated as co-responsible for the GP specialty training program. Yesterday also Sandrina Scholl defended her doctoral thesis on the educational quality of our training posts. Basically the educational quality level is rather low, according to the OSTE- test battery she developed. Being a good GP does not automatically means being a good teacher. Learning plans and portfolio will be used to start a process of involvement and quality of teaching assurance.

With the interuniversity program group, we had in august a mission project to South Africa. The SA government decided to make GP a compulsory 4 years training program from 2009 on. There is a need to create some 2000 teaching places for that time. Our Flemish government created a support project for the 8 university departments joint program. We visited their district hospitals, primary care facilities and rural clinics. There is a huge teaching capacity. But the pressure of the clinical work is so big, that it will not be easy to but not enough time and focus for teaching.

Continuing Medical Education

No news, only impasse.

Health Care

A new government and a new minister again will give a lot of uncertainty as to the future government policy. The new minister is a Walloon socialist with no experience at all to the medical field. In good socialist tradition he will first organize “health hearings” where everyone involved in the field can say his things, and then nobody takes care of it.

The started change to regional primary care groups continues to develop. Last Saturday the Flemish support program started with the installment of the provincial facilitators that have to steer the process.

Within the different GP organisations, an important process is started to merge to one professional organisation structure. It is called the “domus medica” move.

What did I do as a EURACT council member?

The Belgian Core Content Group, a strategic forum with the seven university departments and the two scientific societies, will meet next week to finish a policy document for the new minister. The new definition document in its practical implications, that is what will be in it.