FAQ

Hospital emergency units should be devoted to those specific cases requiring emergency care. If you go to the emergency unit of a hospital with symptoms related to primary healthcare intervention (MD/GP), you will not have priority over patients requiring emergency intervention (second-line care) and you will probably have to wait for hours.

Going to an out-of-hours medical post or requesting a home visit will reduce your waiting time and allow you to have a direct contact with a GP. The on-duty GP will also send a report to your personal/family doctor to ensure the follow-up of your medical treatment.

Contrary to popular belief, the intervention from GBBW doctors will be less expensive than an intervention at the emergency service of a hospital. 

Consultations in an out-of-hours medical post are without appointment. Find the locations and schedules of the out-of-hours medical posts.

If you are unable come to a medical post, please call 1733. The call centre will take note of your contact details and ask you about your symptoms before sending you a doctor at home.

The on-duty doctors working at the GBBW are general practitioners. They signed the Internal Rules, which requires them to charge the officially-defined fees, to respect the code of conduct and to treta every patient equally, regarless of age, gender, religion or pathology. 

If you are registered in a medical house, you can come to an out-of-hours medical post or call an on-duty doctor if the medical house where you are registered is closed.

If you are registered within a Medical House, the third-party payment system will be applied. Then, you only pay the amount that corresponds to your personal intervention, while the "third-party" amount will be invoiced to your Medical House.

The on-duty doctor is not meant to replace your personal/family doctor. He/she is rather a back-up when your doctor is absent or if you need to see one out of working hours (evenings, nights, weekends, bank holidays). If you still do not have a personal/family doctor, you can find one on the FAMGB or the BHAK website.

Of course! The MD/GP is qualified to evaluate the symptoms of your child. He will prescribe the necessary medication or refer you to a specialist.

There is no such service in Brussels. Nevertheless, the MD/GPs of the GBBW are in contact with specialists who are ready to intervene if necessary. If you want to find information about other on-duty services, go to the page ‘useful links’.

See the map to have a look at the locations of the out-of-hours medical posts and get the exact addresses.

Have a look at this page to find the opening hours of the medical posts.

The medical posts can be easily reached by public transport. Some of them have a parking lot nearby. Click on the link below for more information.

If you are unable to come to one of our medical posts, call 1733: we will send an on-call MD/GP to your home as soon as possible. Home visits are organised during the week from 7pm to 8am and on weekends and bank holidays around the clock. The service covers all 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The list of all MD/GPs working in the Brussels-Capital Region is available on the FAMGB or the BHAK website. 

There is no link between the quality of the treatments and their fees. As a matter of fact, the quality of the treatments does not depend on the status or training level of the practitioner.   

You have access to the 24-hour service of general practitioners even if you have not legally declared your residence in Belgium. After paying for the consultation, a document will be handed to you so that you can be reimbursed in your home country (via social security in another EU member state or via a private insurance). 

The price of the consultations corresponds to the officially-defined fees. It means that all GBBW MD/GPs use the prices determined within an annual agreement between the health mutuality insurances, the general practitioners and the NIHDI (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance). After being reimbursed, you will only pay the amount that your health insurance does not cover (= the co-payment voucher). 

You can pay both by bank card (Maestro) and credit card (Mastercard, Visa) in all of our medical posts. You can also use both payment methods for home visits. 

Sometimes, the MD/GP fills in the field dedicated to the paid amount with “OUI” (yes) or “NON” (no) on the treatment certificate. This indicates to your health insurance whether you have paid the co-payment voucher entirely.

If you come to an out-of-hours medical post or if you ask for a home visit, you will need the following documents: your ID or your National Register identification number, a bank/credit card or cash to pay for the consultation.

It is always best if you can bring your ID along, as it facilitates all subsequent follow-up. At least, you need some kind of identification document (passport, resident card) and, if possible, a recent label from your health insurer.