The best treatment for every patient
“Providing the best, tailored care for every patient is a core value of the hospital,” says Prof Dr Gert Van Assche, chief medical officer at UZ Leuven. “This has a dual aim. On the one hand, we want to offer every patient the best possible treatment, regardless of their financial means. On the other hand, we take our patients’ situation into account as much as possible, especially for those in socially vulnerable circumstances.”
We want to be able to provide every patient with the care they need, regardless of their financial means.
Prof Dr Gert Van Assche, chief medical officer
“On the other hand, we want to offer the treatment that gives the patient the best prognosis. If this is an innovative surgical technique or a medicine for a very rare condition, it can become extremely expensive and there is usually no reimbursement. Yet we still want to be able to provide that necessary care.”
Innovative or rare
Expensive medicines that are not reimbursed are often only recently brought to market or are used to treat rare diseases and conditions. On top of this comes the high cost of innovative materials and techniques used in surgery, such as 3D technology that makes it possible to operate more precisely. The cost of these treatments and techniques ranges from about €1,000 up to sometimes €40,000.
Investing in care is also investing in people.Prof Dr Gert Van Assche, chief medical officer
“Sometimes a reimbursement by the public authorities is indeed on the way,” Professor Van Assche explains, “but these procedures take time. And time is not always available. You want to help people as quickly and as well as possible. A child with a rare tumour who stands to benefit from a ground-breaking cancer therapy has no time to lose. Investing in care is also investing in people.”