Trainee radiologists at Brussels University Hospital (HUB) in Belgium have gone on strike to protest about an apparent lack of adequate supervision and guidance, according to a local media report.
Radiology residents are complaining in particular about the absence of senior radiologists at the Queen Fabiola University Children's Hospital (HUDERF/UKZKF), which forces them to work on-call shifts outside of their internship plan, and they consider this situation to be dangerous and not in accordance with the law, noted an article in De Specialist posted on 14 October.
"This lack of senior pediatric radiologists exposes the trainees to responsibilities they consider excessive and inappropriate for their level of training, jeopardizing both the safety of patients and their own medical responsibility," the article said.
Brussels University Hospital (HUB) includes the Erasmus Hospital, the Jules Bordet Institute, and the Queen Fabiola University Children's Hospital. Photo courtesy of the HUB.
Attempts to resolve the issue through dialogue with management have not led to a solution. The residents turned to the local accreditation committee, which has ruled in their favor. The committee confirmed that the on-call duties at the HUDERF/UKZKF were not included in their internship plan and that carrying out an internship year under these circumstances may invalidate the training scheme, De Specialist continued.
The lack of supervision does not allow the trainees to treat patients safely, especially because certain medical decisions require the advice of specialists, which is not guaranteed in the absence of senior radiologists, the article said.
According to the report, the French-speaking delegation of doctors in training -- la Délégation des Médecins Francophones en Formation, DeMeFF -- supports the strike action. DeMeFF stresses that the pediatric radiology department of the HUDERF/UKZKF will be subject to an independent audit to verify whether the department meets the accreditation criteria. Dr. Sami Barrit, a representative of the DeMeFF, pointed out that the trainee radiologists are keen to resume their work, provided the right training conditions are guaranteed.
Dr. Alexandre Niset, also from DeMeFF, has criticized the lack of supervision, De Specialist added. He complains about a situation where newly qualified medical doctors are unable to supervise trainees effectively. According to the accreditation criteria, carrying out unsupervised or inappropriate tasks, given the level of training of the doctors in training, constitutes a violation of the required quality standards.
In the meantime, patients are still being treated by senior radiologists, the article noted. Prof. Jean-Michel Hougardy, general medical director at the HUB, has acknowledged the lack of specialized radiologists and the complexity of multisite internships and called for dialogue and collaboration to find solutions.
Senior radiologists have reportedly written a letter, signed by all, to express their support for the trainee radiologists.
