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Patients complain of 'total confusion' at new Delta hospital

21:56 03/01/2018

Patients at Brussels' newest hospital have complained of chaotic scenes, incomplete building works and a lack of information, three weeks after Edith Cavell hospital moved into its new premises at Delta in Auderghem.

Hospital group Chirec transferred all of its patients to the new complex on 9 December, including one of the biggest maternity wards in the city.

One patient told La Libre Belgique that receptionists were "extremely friendly but utterly overwhelmed" by the new set-up and the hospital should have waited longer before moving.

"From the outside, everything looked like a building site, and there was total confusion," he said. "The lifts to access the hospital from the car park did not work."

Another patient, who is four-months pregnant, told the paper: "Everything is still under construction, there are no signs - people do not know where to go and just wander lost in the corridors. Even the staff do not know where to send us."

The hospital's chief medic, Michel Dewever, said some work still needed to be done. "When we gave the go-ahead for the move, all the companies promised that everything would be finished in time and that there would be no problem, but they outsourced several works that are not completed," he said.

"When the Marie Curie Hospital opened in Charleroi, it took them several months to adapt. It's the same situation for us. But, to be clear, all the services are operational, including surgery, intensive care and the dialysis centre."

The pain clinic suffered some delays but should be fully open next week, Dewever added. The area surrounding the hospital will remain a construction site for two years as work continues on the Delta West residential project, which will include apartments, student housing, a nursing home and shops.

The old Edith Cavell hospital site in Uccle will be demolished to make way for a €70m property development including 150 apartments and shops.