Country members/Belgium/news
BELGIUM May 2012
National:
The registration organized by the Health Ministry has started in March 2012. After January 2013, all OT must be registered to work in Belgium: it will be a guarantee of quality for all patients in our country.
This registration is also mandatory in order to work in private practice according to the new legislation. Patients are now refunded by the national health insurance system if they need evaluation of the home, advice for technological aids, information of the families and carers,.ADL and AIDL evaluation and specific ADL home teaching,... after their stay in an approved rehabilitation center.
Foreign OT will also have to apply for registration in order to work in Belgium. Information about registration procedure isavailable on our websites. www.ergobel.be
Dutch-speaking regional association:
The ”Woonzorgdecreet” has been activated : networks will be created to focus on assisting elderly to remain at home as long as possible providing assistive services (eg: cleaning services, meals, …). If necessary daycare, short stay or residential care are also available. Therefore OT’s are included in local and regional service centers.
The regional centers work with insurance companies (complementary insurance) and are are only accreditated if, per year, they have at least 30 clients needing OT care: home evaluation, adaptations,... In January a two-year evaluation period started before implementation of this project for free advice and home service.
The regional centers work with insurance companies (complementary insurance) and are are only accreditated if, per year, they have at least 30 clients needing OT care: home evaluation, adaptations,... In January a two-year evaluation period started before implementation of this project for free advice and home service.
An installation meeting for a home health working group composed of representatives (medical advisors) of different insurance companies will include, from April 1st, occupational therapists as advisors in work handicap or work rehabilitation. It will be a two-year project, starting locally with extension to the entire region.
A new professional profile, description of competences and tasks, is studied in collaboration with the universities.
French-speaking regional association:
The association organized in March 2012 a one-day conference in order to inform its members of legislation changes, to propose modalities of intervention and to share experiences of work as independants. This conference was linked to the possibilities for the OT to work in private practice due to the new regulation published in December 2010.
The different groups (geriatric, neurology, home care...) are very active and are present on our regional website, where everybody can find information on their meetings and research.
We will soon celebrate the 40th anniversary of our association and we are therefore getting ready to organize this event.
This report has been made by Marlies Suetens, Anne Ledoux and Claire Valentin.
News from BELGIUM July 2011
The registration organized by the Ministry of Health will start in October 2011 and already 6391 OT’s have participated to a survey: 4712 Dutch-speaking and 1679 French- speaking. Result of this survey concerning practice, study, continuing education,… will be available on national and regional websites.
Both regional websites are giving valuable information about registration, private practice, courses organized and also facilities such as purchase of books at good price, car stickers,….
Dutch-speaking regional association:
REVA 2011, a fair being organized every 2 years took place on May 5-6-7. This year, one day was organized as a “study day” with an academic session and a reception due to the 40th anniversary of the Flemish OT association and 20th anniversary of the workgroup ‘Antwerpse Geneeskundige Dagen’. COTEC and WFOT were promoted using posters and promotion was made for the next COTEC congress in Sweden using flyers.
Website: All PowerPoint presentations of events organized by the Flemish regional association are available (for downloading) on the website: at this moment “winter meeting”and “uiteenzettingen REVA”.
On the last Friday of September will be held an OT meeting. This year, the first edition will be on September 30th.
Courses being organized in fall : ‘AMPS’, ‘specialist-OT in rheumatology’, ‘OT method in cognitive rehabilitation’
French-speaking regional association:
A new website will soon be available with new possibilities for the “working theme groups” to share information between members of the group directly on the website, a brand new library, the “advantages” of the regional association, information regarding the registering process and the inscription to the social security system…
Different projects are also on their way such as a day of information regarding private practice
The regional association also supported study days: this spring “Ergo tous Azimuts” (held every 2 years) and 2 other study days are in preparation for the fall.
This report has been made by Marlies Suetens, Anne Ledoux and Claire Valentin.
Belgian News September 2010
In 2010, the Ministry of Public Health decided to start a procedure of registration of the occupational therapists, with the help of the national federation and of the two regional associations. The registration is aiming at giving an official status for all the medical profession and at establishing a profile of the practice, employer, studies, continuing education,….
The procedure is composed of 3 steps:
- The Ministry of Health asks all the occupational therapists to fill an inscription form on Internet to give their name and internet address to create a directory
- The Ministry will contact all the occupational therapists from the directory in order to participate to a survey. This survey is due to start in September. The professional associations will have access to the results of the survey and benefit from the collected data.
- Beginning of 2011, the registration process will start and the Ministry of Health will contact all the occupational therapists listed in the directory. The registration is aimed at giving to each occupational therapist, which fills the requirements to practise, an identification number. This identification will be needed to practise in Belgium
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In August 2010 more than 5.300 occupational therapists have already filled in the inscription form on the website of the 2 regional associations and are listed in the directory for the next steps.
Therefore, the Belgian occupational therapists living abroad are invited either to fill the form now to be involved or to register later on if they want to come back in Belgium to practise :
Registering is an insurance to be able to practise if you want to come back in Belgium.
On the website of FNBE-NBFE, AE and VE, the requirements to practise in Belgium are updated and foreign occupational therapists can find all the information needed : www.ergobel.be , www.ergo-ae.be , www.ergotherapie.be