ADHD expert for each Belgian province

Public health minister Maggie De Block has announced that she will free up €390,000 from next year to provide a part-time ADHD expert for each of Belgium's ten provinces, with the intention to streamline diagnosis and treatment of the attention deficit and hyperactivitity disorder, reports De Morgen.

"The experts can be either a psychologist or a doctor,” says De Block about the one-year project. “They will be responsible for keeping doctors, teachers and parents informed."

In addition to educating the public about ADHD, the experts are tasked with ensuring everything is streamlined, from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up care. As it is now, Belgium has too many regional differences in its approach to the disorder, according to the minister.

The appointment of ADHD experts in every province is part of a larger plan to improve mental health services for children and young people, for which De Block has made available a total of €21.2 million.