Tens of thousands of calls to Belgium's emergency response centres last year were answered only after more than three minutes of waiting due to a structural shortage of staff, according to data from Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR).
The delays were most pronounced in Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp.
In Brussels, over 25,000 calls, or 5.53%, were answered after a three-minute wait. In East Flanders, more than 10,000 calls, representing 3.25%, experienced similar delays, while Antwerp recorded over 4,400 calls, or 1.22%, facing the same issue.
By contrast, emergency calls in Walloon Brabant were far less affected, with only around 50 callers, or 0.06%, waiting more than three minutes.
According to the minister’s response, the country’s 11 emergency call centres employ only 308 full-time equivalents, while 361 staff are deemed necessary for optimal functioning.
Furthermore, the sector is grappling with higher-than-average staff turnover rates and absenteeism due to illness.
