Solidaris is launching a national petition, called “not upward price to the doctor!”, To oppose the increase in the price of medical consultations and drugs, the socialist mutuality announced on Tuesday in a statement.
“Faced with the growing mobilization of certain corporations of specialists who are opposed to any regulation, we call on the citizens and conversely convenient doctors sharing the desire to guarantee the accessibility of care to oppose all measures that will contribute to increasing the cost of care for patients,” said Solidaris.
“The voice of patients and citizens cannot be absent from public debate longer when behind the planned reforms emerges a very real threat: that of an increase in the invoice for patients. And this in a country where already, a quarter of health spending is assumed directly by citizens,” said the secretary general of Solidaris, Jean-Pascal Labille.
Too expensive in Belgium
According to Solidaris, Belgium is one of the European countries where patients are already paying for the most to treat themselves: 25% of health spending is borne by patients, against 13% in Germany and 15% in France. A study by Solidaris had shown last year that four out of ten people had already given up treating for lack of financial means.
Is there a doctor in the city? Even in Brussels or Charleroi, this shortage of generalists who worries …
Solidaris launches this petition to “guarantee each and everyone an access to quality care, without discrimination or financial overload”.
“Without a logic of regulating health care costs for patients, we accelerate a little more towards two-speed medicine where those who are able to pay more to treat themselves will be the first to obtain an appointment with a doctor,” said Jean-Pascal Labille.
