Medical students at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Université de Mons (UMons) have voted overwhelmingly to boycott on-call shifts at two major hospitals in Belgium.
During a general assembly on Monday evening, over 99% supported the boycott against the Hôpital universitaire de Bruxelles (HUB) and the Marie Curie hospital in Charleroi. The decision was confirmed by the ULB’s Bureau des étudiants administrateurs (BEA).
Nearly half of the voting students at ULB expressed support for extending the strike to all hospitals. The move follows HUB’s recent decision to stop reimbursing students for their on-call shifts within its medical network.
Approximately 300 medical students from ULB and UMons currently provide on-call cover each month across three HUB facilities: the Jules Bordet Institute, Erasme Hospital, and the Queen Fabiola Children’s Hospital.
Student organisations are set to meet with university authorities on Tuesday morning to discuss the issue further.
