More than a quarter of Belgians (29%) have skipped going to the doctors in the past 12 months due to the cost of living, according to a study commissioned by Ethias and published on Thursday.
The high cost of healthcare was cited as the main reason by 71% of respondents. This figure rises to 81% when specifically considering consultations with medical specialists.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) said they skipped medical or paramedical consultations, while 38% refrained from purchasing medicines. Additionally, 32% gave up preventive or curative treatments, such as vaccines, screenings, or check-ups, and 29% avoided medical tests like X-rays or analyses.
Around 14% of parents surveyed admitted they had foregone at least one healthcare service for their child. Among these parents, 59% skipped a consultation, 36% abandoned a preventive or curative treatment, 27% did not purchase medicines, and 15% postponed medical tests or diagnostics.
Dental care was the most frequently sacrificed service, with 53% of Belgians skipping these visits over the past year. Other commonly foregone consultations included visits to specialists (39%), general practitioners (35%), ophthalmologists (21%), and psychologists (20%).
The study also highlighted significant regional disparities. In Brussels, 53% of respondents reported foregoing healthcare, while the figures were 30% in Wallonia and 23% in Flanders.
Age also played a key role. People aged 25-34 were the most likely to forgo care (44%), followed by those aged 35-44 (37%) and 45-54 (31%). The rate dropped to 18% for those aged 55-64 and 10% among individuals aged 65-74.
The quantitative study, commissioned by Ethias, was conducted among 1,000 participants aged 25 to 74, representative of the Belgian population. The margin of error was approximately 3.1%.
