Maisons médicales: short distances for patients, long days for doctors

The autumn weather heralds the start of the high season for Maisons médicales. In 2024, almost 49.000 people sought medical advice at one of the three centres (see info box) due to tick bites, colds, or injuries. The highest number of patients is regularly counted in December.

With the move planned in Ettelbruck by spring 2026, Luxembourg will soon have three modern medical centres. They receive patients all year round (weekdays from 8 p.m. to midnight, weekends and public holidays from 8 a.m. to midnight). This makes the four on-call practices, including the paediatric practice at CHL, an integral part of primary medical care. But how well does the system work today?

Dr Sébastien Diederich is very familiar with the history of Luxembourg's Maisons médicales, as they were the subject of his doctoral thesis two years ago. The beginnings date back to the early 2000s, with the realisation that it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain 24-hour, seven-day-a-week healthcare provision by general practitioners, particularly in the north of the country. As a result, an on-call service was introduced in 2002. Doctors stationed in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg City and Esch/Alzette travelled to patients' homes between 10 pm and 7 am. On-site consultations only became possible after 2008 with the introduction of three maisons médicales.