As a neighboring country, Belgium is a major trading partner of the Netherlands: more than 10% of total Dutch exports go to Belgium. In the Life Sciences and Health (LSH) sector, Belgium is a convenient trading partner close to the Netherlands. In recent years, many activities have been organized to strengthen the relationship between the LSH sectors in both countries. Future activities will be aimed at further strengthening this relationship to facilitate collaboration.
Belgium operates an advanced health system. Federal authorities and federated entities have different responsibilities. Federal authorities are responsible for regulating compulsory health insurance, the outpatient budget, hospital budget and programming standards, pharmaceuticals, their price control, and healthcare professions. The federated entities (regions and communities) are responsible for health promotion and disease prevention, the organisation of primary and palliative care, maternity and child healthcare, social services and community care, the financing of investments in hospitals (infrastructure and heavy medical equipment) and the determination of hospital licensing standards. Interministerial conferences are regularly organised to facilitate cooperation between the federal authorities, the regions and the communities.
However, several health challenges are forcing the Belgium health system to adapt and improve. Major challenges include demographic and epidemiological developments, higher health expectations, healthcare affordability, accessibility, sustainability, quality and efficiency. In recent years, Belgian health policy has focused on making health services more efficient. There was also substantial investment in health personnel. The focus in the coming years will include the reform of the hospital landscape, mental health care, integrated care and the accessibility of care. Following the COVID-19 crisis, consideration is now also being given to how to improve the resilience of the health system.