Brussels (Brussels Morning) – The National MS Centre, currently in Melsbroek, will relocate to Mechelen under Emmaus Healthcare. A new hospital with 100 beds aims to enhance MS care amid past local opposition.
The National MS Centre, presently located in Melsbroek (Steenokkerzeel), is joining hands with the Emmaus healthcare group and will construct a completely new hospital in Mechelen in the future. This hospital with a hundred beds is to be built on a plot of land next to the AZ Sint-Maarten. The current care site in Melsbroek is very outdated. That is why there was a dossier for thirteen years to build a new hospital, but due to protests from a local action committee, no project ever got off the ground. The Council for Permit Disputes repeatedly annulled the environmental permits that had been issued.
What Challenges Did the MS Centre Face in Melsbroek?
The plans for the new building are irreconcilable with the vision of the action group. An adjustment of the plans, to meet the demands, ensures that the operation of the hospital is financially mortgaged. “It is impossible to provide the necessary quality care and to survive based on the proposal of the action group”, says Eric Vanderheyden, general manager of the NMSC.
That is why the board of the National MS Centre (NMSC) has decided to look for an alternative location. “One that does have room for infrastructure that meets the needs and wishes of patients and employees,” says the general manager. The board has entered into discussions with the non-profit organisation Emmaüs. The healthcare group also manages the AZ Sint-Maarten in Mechelen, a hospital that already works closely with the NMSC.
What Challenges Did the MS Centre Face in Melsbroek?
“To ensure good care for people with MS, we need new infrastructure. We also want to be able to respond even better to the challenges of a qualitative and affordable service for our target group. That is why we have taken the initiative to join a strong partner in the healthcare sector,” says Vanderheyden.
What Led to the Partnership Between MS Centre and Emmaus?
The talks between both parties resulted in the signing of a declaration of commitment. This should lead to the integration of the National MS Center in Emmaus. The collaboration should strengthen the care for people suffering from the condition and also guarantee a sustainable future. “We can offer the National MS Center a development path for a new building in the vicinity of the Sint-Maarten General Hospital. That also offers opportunities for synergy for both care and non-care related services,” says Jan Claesen, managing director at Emmaüs.
How Will the New Hospital in Mechelen Benefit Patients?
The new hospital is to be built in Mechelen on a vacant lot of around 25,000 square metres between the AZ Sint-Maarten and the Roosendaelveld residential care centre. “I would like construction to start tomorrow. We need to start by drawing up a list of requirements. Our architects will then draw up a plan for that. We then need to get approval for our project from the city,” explains Director Vanderheyden.
As soon as the project has an environmental permit, a public tender will follow to find a contractor. “A period of four or five years seems realistic to me for the realization,” says Eric Vanderheyden. The new hospital will probably have just over a hundred beds. “We are investing sixty million euros.”
What Is the Historical Background of the MS Centre?
The National MS Centre, also known as the MS Clinic, has a history in Melsbroek that goes back to 1958. At that time, the congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk gave its approval to establish a National Selection and Readaptation Centre at the current care site for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system.
The twenty beds in the nursing home were recognized as a hospital two years later. After renovations and the realization of a new building in the early sixties, the number of beds expanded to 135. “Over the years, our complex has been renovated four or five times. Today, our hospital has 120 beds,” says director Vanderheyden.
