Belgium’s Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke intends to take over the management of the 1733 triage service for out-of-hours GPs’ posts from the Interior Ministry, citing issues during the recent heatwave.
During the heatwave, emergency lines experienced unusually long response times. The 112 emergency number had wait times of up to ten minutes, while 1733, which handles GP out-of-hours calls, saw delays of up to 25 minutes.
Vandenbroucke is exploring immediate measures to address the issue. One proposal involves redirecting 1733 calls during peak periods directly to local out-of-hours GP posts. This would allow callers to continue using the same number while bypassing central triage. Any additional costs incurred would be covered by the government.
In the long term, Vandenbroucke is working on structural reforms. He is considering transferring the management of the 1733 service to the Health Ministry—a possibility he reportedly discussed with Interior Minister Bernard Quintin back in late 2025.
Several options are on the table, including integrating the triage service into local GP posts, outsourcing to healthcare call centres, or establishing a new emergency centre within the Health Ministry. These proposals will be reviewed this autumn with stakeholders from the GP out-of-hours sector.
