Private healthcare company Mediport will open the first "pre-hospital", a preventive care and diagnosis centre in Antwerp in July 2023, L'Echo reports.
On Tuesday, the company launched a public crowdfunding for €2 million, to which investors can contribute sums of at least €500. The crowdfunding comes after €5.6 million were invested to buy the property and carry out construction works.
The Mediport centre promises to provide preventive care in the fields of cardiology, radiology, gynaecology, pulmonology, and urology, as well as a sports clinic and a vertebral column clinic.
The centre will open across the street from a future ZAS hospital in the Cadix neighbourhood of Antwerp. The two have set up a partnership which would ensure patient referral between the two, the Mediport project claims.
The preventive care facility also has a partnership with GE Healthcare, an American multinational medical technology company, which will supply the Antwerp centre and future spin-offs with medical equipment.
The initial investment comes from bank financing and equity. The Mediaport project is spearheaded by businessman Zvi Donat, who founded medical centres in the United States and Israel as well.
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Belgium meets only 2 out of 11 preventive health indicators, having particularly low rates of breast cancer screenings and regular dental care, according to SPF Public Health.
In 2020, Belgium had one of the lowest expenditures on preventive care in the EU, accounting for 0.23% of the country's GDP, according to Eurostat.
Preventive healthcare is key in ensuring positive health outcomes for a population and it refers to vaccination, screenings and tests, as well as public health approaches, the European Society of Preventive Medicine explains.