Belgian ambulances should soon be able to use all Dutch hospitals

Belgian ambulances should soon be allowed to take patients to all Dutch hospitals. At the moment they can only go to Maastricht UMC+, the one Dutch hospital that Belgium recognises for emergency care.

Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans told parliament that this should change before the end of the year.

The closest hospital

After the change, Belgium’s emergency call centre can send a patient in the border region to the closest hospital, whichever side of the border it is on.

Payment still to be settled

One issue is still open. Belgium and the Netherlands pay for ambulance trips and medical care in different ways, and the two countries still have to settle how this will be paid for.

The change mainly matters for people living near the Belgian border.