Brussels hospitals face sanctions for not speaking Dutch

A new online platform to report emergency services and hospitals in Brussels that fail to provide medical care in Dutch has been announced by the regional Flemish government.

Emergency departments, medical emergency groups and public hospitals in Brussels are legally required to be bilingual. However, this is not always the case in practice.

To tackle this problem, an initiative is being led by the Flemish Popular Movement (VVB), the Flemish Association of Doctors (VAV), and the Flemish Committee for Brussels (VKB).

“Dutch speakers from the Flemish periphery and Brussels have the right to receive care in their own language, especially in critical situations where every second counts. This is simply a human right,” said Ben Weyts (N-VA), regional minister for the Flemish periphery.

The new Flemish reporting point (www.taalklachten.be) will be established to collect and analyse complaints. Hospitals that do not respect the legislation may face legal action.

Weyts urged everyone to report the issues via the online platform. “Hospitals that do not comply with the law and fail to respect essential human rights should be held accountable,” the minister added.

“Despite our efforts to bring this issue to the political agenda, it has not gained the required traction. Therefore, we are switching tactics and will pursue legal action if necessary, starting with the collection of complaints,” Weyts said.

In its coalition agreement, the federal government, led by Flemish nationalist and former Antwerp Mayor Bart de Wever, has committed to enforce the language law more strictly, for example by requiring anyone renting social housing to have passed a B2 Dutch exam, much higher than the current A2 required. This is the current standard in Dutch or French needed for anyone applying for Belgian nationality.