Knee replacements cost Social Security a lot of money. Their use in people aged 95 and over should be limited and they should not be given to those with Dementia at all, says Federal N-VA MP Yoleen Van Camp.
According to figures provided by Health Minister Maggie De Block (Open Vld), around 20,000 Belgians have knee replacements every year. Mrs Van Camp says this costs 200 million euros a year.
She is now calling for patients over 95 not to be given this operation. She also thinks those in a similar age bracket should only be given it only if it significantly improves their quality of life.
Yoleen Van Camp says the most recent figures Mrs De Block claims to have are from 2014. There were 23,000 such operations that year, a 16% increase compared to five years before.
It does cost a lot: 8,000 euros per patient, of which 7,200 is reimbursed by Social Security. “Annually, new knees cost us 200 million euros when there are no complications”, the Flemish Nationalist MP said.
(Source: Belga)
