Rounds of unannounced inspections in Flemish hospitals have shown that the quality of the care and services provided there are "very good" and that problems are quickly addressed.
The head of the Flemish Welfare Department said that Flemish hospitals had posted "very good" results over surprised checks conducted over the past two years.
Flemish general hospitals visited by inspectors were in order on between 94 and 95% of the parametres checked, which include patient health standards and hygiene and safety regulations, Het Nieuwsblad reports.
The checks include inspections on the treatment of patients in hospitals' cardiology, surgery or internal medicine departments, which are also checked to confirm they are sufficiently staffed in the case of an emergency.
Inspectors also oversee the maintenance of medical devices and of hygiene rules, and they also check whether patients' pain is assessed daily, De Standaard reports.
Despite the overall positive results, initial checks showed a series of faults or shortcomings which could potentially pose a "serious risk" to patient safety which were ultimately addressed, including one hospital which did not have an anesthesiologist in the room during a surgery in which a patient went under general anaesthesia.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
