A new report from Belgium's National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (RIZIV) has found that 35 percent of doctors' fees could be channeled directly to hospital operations, prompting Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke to accelerate hospital reform.
The report, published on 1 July 2026, addresses the long-standing opaque financing system where hospitals often require doctors to surrender a significant portion of their fees to cover practice costs such as equipment and support staff. The amounts vary widely between hospitals, leading to overuse of medical procedures like unnecessary scans.
The federal government has pledged to introduce a "pure honorarium" system that would clearly separate doctors' professional income from funds used for hospital infrastructure. Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) aims to make progress on the reform, though he cautioned that he would prefer no agreement over one that lacks certainty on key issues.
