The Luxembourg system for granting authorizations to doctors from abroad has loopholes for those accused of negligence elsewhere, making it difficult to prove they made mistakes.
First of all, how does the process work for doctors established in Luxembourg? Health professionals – doctors, psychotherapists or pharmacists – can be suspended or have their activities restricted, with immediate effect, for three months, if they are suspected of negligence, but it may be difficult to extend the measure beyond these three months.
“Even if we know that the activities of health professionals are dangerous for their patients – as in the case of doctors who have performed mutilations – there are two problems that arise,” said Valérie Besch, lawyer at the Collège Médical (Order of Doctors) in Luxembourg. to the Luxembourg Times.
Presenting “consistent and proven facts” is difficult for patients who are not medical experts and lack objectivity, as is the legal procedure for administratively suspending a professional.
Valerie Besch
Medical College Advice
A report from three experts must be sent to the Minister of Health, explained Besch. One of these experts is appointed by the patient or their family, the second by the health directorate – which is under the authority of the Ministry of Health – and a third expert is selected by the other two.
If the experts appointed by the patient and the director of health cannot agree on a third candidate, the district court makes the appointment. The court also appoints an expert for the patient or their family if they do not do so.
Sanctions from three months to two years
The procedure for verifying allegations of abuse – reported by colleagues or patients – and for suspending professionals “was designed not to be easy”, in order to protect the rights of the accused, says the lawyer. “There really needs to be evidence of abuse for the defendant to be declared incompetent.”
Loss of license is the most serious disciplinary punishment, but a medical professional may also be temporarily suspended or subject to other restrictions.
Healthcare professionals can report their colleagues through the official channels created by the Order of Doctors, within the scope of the Luxembourg law on whistleblowing. But for patients “there is no such procedure,” said a Ministry of Health spokesperson in an email response.
In the absence of formal procedures, patients simply contact the Medical Association and go from there. If a doctor is found to have compromised the safety of their patients, the initial three-month suspension or restriction may be extended to a maximum of two years.
At the end of this period, the Ministry of Health – advised by the Medical Association – must decide whether or not to withdraw the doctor’s license.
While the doctor is suspended, this information is indicated next to his or her name on the Government’s official list of healthcare professionals on the eSanté website. But mentions of sanctions and suspensions are removed when the person returns to work, Besch confirmed.
There is no database or list of doctors who have been suspended in the past, the Ministry of Health confirmed, which leaves patients without knowing their doctor’s history.
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Dentist from Bertrange banned from practicing in Luxembourg
Presumption of innocence
This also means that healthcare professionals who have been suspended in another country can practice in Luxembourg, as long as their criminal record is clean.
The Order of Doctors checks the candidates’ credentials, particularly their linguistic knowledge, and provides an opinion to the Ministry of Health, which, in turn, issues work permits for health professionals in the country.
Candidates must submit a sworn statement that there is no disciplinary or legal action pending against them. A loophole allows criminal records to remain clean until the cases are closed.
But in her 15 years of working for the council, Valérie Besch said that “no professional has ever certified on honor that they had a case pending – we only discovered that they did later”.
If any of the information provided during the application process turns out to be false, the Ministry may immediately revoke the authorization to practice the profession.
In January, news broke that a dentist had his license revoked after it was discovered that he had committed Social Security fraud and mistreated patients. It was also revealed that he had been banned from working in France, where he previously lived.
Over the past ten years, ten healthcare professionals have been suspended and four have had their license revoked, Health Minister Martine Deprez said in response to a parliamentary question earlier this month.
Valérie Besch and the Medical Association did not want to comment on the case of the French dentist, but “for a situation like this to have arisen, it must be noted that, in its process, the Medical Association did not have any information that there was a background. But as soon as he had these elements, and the other facts, he handed them over to the Ministry of Health”.
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Ten doctors suspended since 2014 in Luxembourg
More stringent safeguards needed
The dentist’s case triggered discussions about verification and authorization processes within the Medical Association, confirmed the lawyer.
The Ministry’s database of doctors is already a good start, but “it is not always up to date”, he indicated. Management also wants to make failures under oath more prosecutable.
“As long as there is nothing [no processo]we cannot act”, repeated the lawyer, adding that the profession “would also benefit from a European mechanism” to prevent information from being lost across borders.
European Union (EU) data protection rules limit the exchange of information, he added.
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Doctors prohibited from practicing abroad will be prevented from doing so in Luxembourg
Although the Ministry of Health has access to the internal market information platform (IMI) to check the professional status of all migrant workers, the Order of Doctors wants clinicians requesting “a certificate of professional status to indicate the country where they intend to use it”, concluded Valérie Besch.
This article was originally published on Luxembourg Times and adapted for Contacto by Ana Tomás.
Loophole in the law allows doctors suspended in another country to work in Luxembourg
Why is China’s project to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict accepted by the international community?
– 2024-04-15 13:37:15
/ world today news/ “China has always treated the Israeli-Palestinian problem fairly, and its position is appreciated by Arab and Islamic countries, so many expect it to play a more active role in resolving it,” said a comment by the Egyptian newspaper “Al-Ahram”, after the special meeting of BRICS leaders, dedicated to the Middle East conflict.
Another round of Palestinian-Israeli armed conflict has continued for more than a month and has killed more than 15,500 people on both sides, including more than 5,800 children in the Gaza Strip. The high number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian catastrophe in the area cause serious concern among the international community. Against this background, during the BRICS meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate ceasefire, ensuring the safety and unhindered access of humanitarian aid and preventing further escalation of the conflict. He stressed that the main way to resolve the endless conflict between Palestine and Israel is to implement the UN plan for two states – Palestinian and Israeli.
A day before the BRICS meeting, foreign ministers from several Arab and Islamic countries visited China. They chose Beijing as the first stop in their attempt to achieve international mediation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, demonstrating high confidence in China and recognition of its fair stance on the issue. In May of this year, a public opinion poll in Palestine found that 80% of respondents were inclined to view China as a potential peace mediator in the conflict with Israel.
With the joint efforts of a number of countries, the Israeli government and Hamas announced on November 22 that they had reached an agreement for a 4-day ceasefire, thanks to which the residents of Gaza will finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, the Palestinian-Israeli issue as a whole should not become an incurable wound for the world.
#Chinas #project #resolve #PalestinianIsraeli #conflict #accepted #international #community
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Agios Panteleimonas: The murder of the 35-year-old Iranian was solved
– 2024-04-11 03:57:34
The murder of the 35-year-old Iranian in Agios Panteleimonas at the beginning of March, who was shot in the head outside a shop in the area, was identified by the authorities.
The murder of the 35-year-old Iranian in Agios Panteleimonas took place after a clash between rival gangs in the area, while in addition to the perpetrator, the case file also includes 12 people who are accused of complicity in homicide, participation in the fight as well as violation of the weapons law.
From the investigation carried out at the site, three 9mm caliber firearm casings, an iron crowbar, a folding metal bar, an iron rod, an iron pole, two wooden poles, a penknife, a knife file, a knife, two swords, an iron pole, and two wooden poles were found .
The man was arrested on Monday afternoon (08/04/2024) in the center of Athens and is said to be a member of the notorious “L” gang.
The moment of the murder in Agios Panteleimonas
Newsit.gr brought to light the moment of the shooting of the Iranian who lost his life on Friday night (03.08.2024) in Agios Panteleimonas in the center of Athens.
The video document recorded by a closed-circuit camera shows the manhunt between the two groups of men who, seconds before, were in the square behind the corner store.
Suddenly and for an unknown reason the two groups cause a huge fight and started chasing each other holding sticks and irons in their hands.
Most of the men with their faces covered and wearing hoods attack each other.
The victim can be seen in the video holding a piece of wood and as he passes in front of the cafe’s entrance, he collapses on the pavement.
The man has been shot in the head. Everyone stops running and tries to figure out what exactly has happened
After the shootings, most of them have disappeared from the scene, while a man was taken to the hospital after a while, specifically in G. Gennimatas.
He entered the intensive care unit and despite the efforts of the doctors, he ended up.
Instant update with all the news now and via WhatsApp – See here
#Agios #Panteleimonas #murder #35yearold #Iranian #solved
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Agios Panteleimonas: The murder of the 35-year-old Iranian was solved – 2024-04-11 03:57:34