Sint-Truiden (Brussels Morning Newspaper): In early 2023, Asster and MC St.-Jozef merged to form Myna Healthcare group, becoming Belgium’s largest psychiatric hospital with 920 beds. Directors Bert Plessers and Greet Croenen aim to enhance care in Limburg and plan a new campus in North Limburg within 8-10 years.
In early 2023, two healthcare groups said they would merge starting January 1. They will be called the Myna healthcare group, named after a type of bird. The two have worked together in Limburg for a long time and trust each other. Asster director Bert Plessers said they began talking about the merger at the end of 2022 and have worked hard to make it happen. They can start legally on January 1 and hope the merger will help them provide better healthcare in Limburg.
How will the Myna healthcare merger transform psychiatric care in Sint-Truiden?
After the merger, Zorggroep Myno will become the largest psychiatric hospital in Belgium, with 920 beds and a nursing home for 135 residents across six sites. Plessers mentioned that the name change will happen slowly for everyone. Greet Croenen, director of MC St.-Jozef, said there won’t be any immediate changes in how things operate, but they will create a new website to help patients and doctors find the right care more easily.
Healthcare group Myna is looking to open a new campus in North Limburg in the next 8 to 10 years to provide more psychiatric care. There are only 24 beds for every 100,000 people in the north, while South Limburg has 240 beds. Myna is still deciding on the exact location and number of beds, and they are working with UHasselt to understand local healthcare needs. Meanwhile, the psychiatric hospital Asster is starting to build a new facility in Sint-Truiden with 110 beds, which will begin construction in February, and they also plan to build another facility in Munsterbilzen by 2027.
