The problem of inadequate Dutch-language services in Brussels hospitals and emergency services has been going on for decades. Following the N-VA action plan ‘Language in Hospitals’ that was launched earlier, Tavernier presents a number of concrete proposals: “The primary responsibility lies with the Brussels and federal level. But since nothing is really moving there, we in Flanders are forced to take matters into our own hands and come up with solutions ourselves.”
Flanders at the table
The Brussels Act states that the Flemish Brussels Minister must be invited to the meetings of the Common Community Commission (GGC) for matters such as healthcare. But so far that has never happened. Tavernier finds this unacceptable: “For more than 20 years, the law has been thrown in the trash. We need a guarantee that Flanders is represented at the Brussels table. That is why we advocate full participation of the Flemish Brussels minister in the GGC college where he, together with his French-speaking colleague, replaces the current GGC members responsible for health and welfare.”
Take language complaints seriously
According to Tavernier, it is crucial that every language complaint is taken seriously: “Too often, language complaints go untreated, leading to a feeling of powerlessness among victims of this discrimination. That needs to change urgently. Hospitals must take every complaint seriously and take concrete action to address the problem. In the case of serious language complaints, the Flemish Healthcare Inspectorate must intervene.”
Tavernier is disappointed with the lack of decisiveness of current Minister for Brussels Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) in this area: “Although he has taken some baby steps, there is hardly any improvement in the field of Dutch-language services in Brussels. Dalle has too little efforts have been made to change this. Respect for legal bilingualism in Brussels has never been worse, but the minister has never really shown the will to address this Vlaamse Rand has been let down.”
Eliminating blind spots
Since patients are taken to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency call, not only Flemish people from Brussels, but also many Flemish people from the Flemish periphery, come into contact with inadequate Dutch-language services in Brussels hospitals and emergency services. “However, no figures are kept about this,” Tavernier emphasizes. “To gain a better understanding of the problem, it is important to map the Flemish patient flow to Brussels hospitals. We not only need to know how many Dutch-speaking patients there are, but also how they experience the bilingualism of the hospitals. After all, it is an open secret that many Flemish people from the outskirts move to another hospital due to inadequate Dutch-language care.”
Flemish language inspectorate
“Without concrete control measures for language knowledge in Brussels hospitals, we remain at a dead end,” argues Tavernier, who sees a role for the Flemish Healthcare Inspectorate in this regard. “Language checks should primarily target emergency medical care and hospitals. This is a crucial step to guarantee the quality of Dutch-language care.”
Tags: NVA launches plan tackle language problems Brussels hospitals
