Vilvoorde opens new PIT unit with AZ Jan Portaels and fire service

BM Newsroom

Vilvoorde (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A new PIT unit in Vilvoorde, operated by AZ Jan Portaels and the fire service, combines a nurse and paramedic to strengthen regional emergency response and support MUG teams.

As VRT News reported, a new Paramedical Intervention Team (PIT) has been launched in Vilvoorde to strengthen emergency medical services in the region. The PIT acts as a link between a regular ambulance and an MUG (Medical Emergency Response Unit).

“This may include giving pain relief, treating a thrombosis, or helping after a minor traffic accident,”

said Wouter Jeanfils of the Flemish Brabant West Emergency Zone. 

How will Vilvoorde’s new PIT team improve emergency care?

According to officials, each PIT is staffed by a paramedic from the fire department and a nurse from the AZ Jan Portaels Hospital in Vilvoorde. The team can provide medical care on site and perform several procedures independently. Their tasks include giving medication, checking vital signs, and stabilising patients before transport to the hospital. 

Dr Tom Schmitz, Medical Head of Emergency Services at AZ Jan Portaels, said the new PIT will make emergency care more efficient.

“With extra training, our nurses can handle many interventions on their own,”

he said.

“That keeps the MUG available for the most serious calls.”

The PIT model supports better coordination between hospitals, fire services, and rescue teams.

In 2019, the Paramedical Intervention Team (PIT) project commenced in Belgium, following its approval as part of a national strategy to enhance emergency medical services. The objective was to establish a prescribing healthcare team to respond in a capable and timely manner to urgent but non-life-threatening cases to alleviate pressures on doctors and MUG units. 

In 2023, the first PIT began operating in Asse, a community in the Flemish Brabant West Emergency Zone (also known as “Hageland”), with evidence demonstrating faster response times and improved utilisation of medical personnel. Based on that success, more PIT units are being set up in different parts of the country. 

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