Paediatric stakeholders have developed a Child Care Plan for Belgium. This includes ten recommendations with a key proposal to establish a 'Ministry of Childhood'.
This comprehensive plan was unveiled on Thursday at the Flanders Meeting and Convention Center in Antwerp and was signed by key stakeholders.
Over the past two decades, Belgian paediatricians have become increasingly frustrated. A significant number of children and adolescents are struggling with long-term illnesses, with growing physical and psychological problems even at a young age. Meanwhile, care for minors is becoming less efficient due to political fragmentation, they argue.
"In Belgium, there is no 'child first' reflex," lamented Ann De Guchtenaere, President of the Belgian Academy of Paediatrics (BAoP), the group behind this initiative.
The BAoP therefore decided to tackle the issue head-on and involve dozens of partners – patients, parents, general practitioners and paediatric nurses – in creating a care plan aiming to prioritise children and adolescents within the system.
One of the ten recommendations calls for the creation of a 'Ministry of Childhood', led by a single minister for the whole country, as part of the government formation process following the legislative elections on 9 June.
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"Currently, collaboration is lacking. There is no plan, no direction and not enough data on which to base decisions," De Guchtenaere asserted. "We wish to trigger awareness in the political world: it is both possible and necessary to do better. Every child is a future adult and has the right to personalised medical care."
Other detailed suggestions within the plan include rethinking the Patient Rights Law and the submission of an annual report consolidating all relevant paediatric health and disease data.
Additionally, it suggests setting up an inter-federal working group, investing more in prevention and organising interdisciplinary training on children's health, vulnerability and illness.
