- Daily & Weekly newsletters
- Buy & download The Bulletin
- Comment on our articles
Number of foreign doctors in Belgium on the rise
There are currently 5,372 foreign doctors, medical specialists and medical students registered in Belgium. Ten years ago, there were only 1,712 such registrations, according to a calculation by medical journal Artsenkrant.
Last year there were 365 foreign general physicians (GP) actively practicing in Belgium, or 2.2% of all GPs in the country. Ten years earlier, Belgium had 145 foreign GPs (0.9%). Of all the specialists active in Belgium last year, 2,006 of them were foreigners (7.1%), compared to 767 (3.4%) ten years ago.
The accessible education system in Belgium might provide one explanation for the increase. Last year 3,001, or nearly one-quarter, of all medical students in the country came from outside Belgium. Ten years ago, 800 foreigners came to Belgium to study medicine, or less than 10%.
French and Dutch doctors make up the largest group, but there has also been a sharp increase recently in the number of doctors from Spain, Italy, Greece and Romania.
Comments
I just hope the "foreign" doctors have the same qualifications as Belgian trained doctors (whom I find excellent). If there is no oversight, I foresee problems.