An Antwerp clinic dedicated to young people and alcohol consumption will lose its funding and close by the summer, De Standaard reported on Monday.
Belgium’s first ‘alcohol clinic’ for young people opened in May 2023. The clinic, a pilot project by the University of Antwerp, aims to monitor young people after they end up in emergency care due to alcohol poisoning.
Researchers hoped for continued funding from the Belgian Government, but their request was denied. As a result, the University of Antwerp’s chair supporting the project is being dissolved and the clinic will close.
A recent study by the researchers indicated that the number of alcohol poisonings among young people is likely underestimated.
"Young people who drink problematically are a significant issue in Belgium," explained Dr Hanna van Roozendaal (UAntwerp) to the newspaper.
“In the clinic, an emergency admission marks the start of a proven effective treatment,” she said. The Netherlands has implemented twelve such clinics.
According to van Roozendaal, the number of young people readmitted with alcohol poisoning there has been reduced to nearly zero.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke’s spokesperson confirmed to De Standaard that federal funding would not be provided. However, he noted that an alternative programme for young people who misuse alcohol has been established.
