training

Year of family medicine established: 1980 (Cartier et al., 2015)

Type of Training: Residency Program, with an advanced Master’s education (Belgium - Medical Residency Database, n.d.)

Length of Training:6 years of Medical School, 3 years of residency in combination with an advanced Master’s education (Belgium - Medical Residency Database, n.d.)

Number of institutions that offer family medicine: 10 (Statistics Explained, 2016)

practice

Number of family doctors: ~12929 family physicians in Belgium (Statistics Explained, 2016). 422.58 per 100,000 people.

Physician to population ratio: On average, there are 295 practicing physicians per 100,000 population (Introduction to the Belgian Health System, n.d.).

DALY: 12,948 per 100,000 individuals (Due to all Causes).

Life Expectancy:

• Females 2017: 84.0 years

• Males 2017: 79.0 years

Mortality rate 2017:

• 2015 Males: 89 per 1,000 male adults.

• 2015 Females: 54 per 1,000 female adults.

Infant Immunization-HepB3: % of 1-year-old children recieved: 97%.

College of Family Physicians (Y or N):

• Yes: Belgian Society for General Practioners/Family Physicians.

training

Belgium has a residency program, with an advanced Master’s education, it requires 6 years of Medical School, and 3 years of residency in combination with an advanced Master’s education (Belgium - Medical Residency Database, n.d.). Currently 10 institutions in Belgium offer family medicine training, (Statistics Explained, 2016) however, it is unknown how many graduate each year. On average there are 422.8 physicians per 100,000 patients. Family Medicine and Primary Health Care established in 1980 at Ghent University .

practice

Some doctors in Belgium operate from private practices or are attached to clinics and hospitals, where they treat patients who have the choice to choose which doctor treats them. They do health promotion, preventive care, curative care, mental health care, long-term care and end-of-life care (Expatica, n.d.; Introduction to the Belgian Health System, n.d.) Other primary care deliverers include pediatricians, gynecologists and obstetrics, as well as nurses (Introduction to the Belgian Health System, n.d.)

In Belgium, their health care system is based on the 1963 Health Insurance and Hospital Acts, focusing on a preventative care model (Cartier et al., 2015; Introduction to the Belgian Health System, n.d.) Belgium utilizes a gatekeeping system, with primary caregivers providing referral for more specialized care (Radiology Management, ICU Management, Healthcare IT, Cardiology Management, Executive Management. n.d)