N-VA proposes language requirement for doctors and dentists: ‘Anyone working in Flanders must speak Dutch’

Anyone wishing to practise as a doctor or dentist in Flanders should be required to speak Dutch. That is the key principle behind a bill presented today in the Health Committee by MP Frieda Gijbels. According to Gijbels, the growing influx of healthcare professionals holding foreign qualifications is putting pressure not only on the quality of care, but also on the opportunities available to Flemish students seeking to study medicine or dentistry.

Rising number of foreign qualifications

The number of doctors and dentists with foreign qualifications has been increasing for years. In dentistry, one in three applicants for an NIHDI The National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI/RIZIV/INAMI) is a federal public agency that organises healthcare, a part of social security. The organisation is responsible for four key services: Medical Care, Benefits, Medical Assessments and Verification, and the Administrative Supervision Service. The NIHDI is made up of representatives of workers, employers, health insurance funds and healthcare providers. Different parties on the Flemish side strongly advocate for healthcare to be transferred to the Communities. NIHDI number in 2022 held a foreign degree. Among doctors, the number of foreign qualifications recognised in Belgium has recently surpassed 10,000.

According to Frieda Gijbels, this trend is having consequences for both the quality of healthcare and access to medical and dental education.

‘Quality care starts with mutual understanding’

Through her bill, Frieda Gijbels wants to require doctors and dentists to demonstrate proficiency in the language of the region where they intend to work.

“Quality healthcare is only possible when patients and healthcare professionals understand each other,” she said. “Trust is essential to high-quality care, and trust is built through clear and empathetic communication. Healthcare providers must also be able to pick up on nuances and understand what patients really mean.”

At present, healthcare professionals with foreign qualifications only need to demonstrate knowledge of one of Belgium’s three official languages. N-VA wants to replace that system with a requirement linked directly to the region where the professional practises.

In practical terms, doctors and dentists with foreign qualifications who wish to work in Flanders would have to prove their proficiency in Dutch. “We are not excluding anyone who wants to settle in Belgium,” Frieda Gijbels stressed. “But someone who speaks only French would not be able to work in Flanders. That is the very least patients should be able to expect from a healthcare provider.”

More opportunities for Flemish students

According to N-VA, the measure would also help curb the inflow of healthcare professionals with foreign qualifications, creating more opportunities for Flemish students to pursue studies in medicine and dentistry.

Frieda Gijbels points out that doctors and dentists with foreign qualifications are not subject to Belgium’s medical workforce quota system. They are added on top of the NIHDI numbers allocated to Belgian graduates through the existing quotas.

Yet they are still counted as active healthcare professionals. As a result, the number of NIHDI numbers available to students trained in Belgium is reduced.

“With this proposal, we are tightening access for holders of foreign healthcare qualifications, creating more opportunities for our own students and guaranteeing Dutch-language healthcare in Flanders,” Frieda Gijbels concluded.