Flemish universities to prepare medical students better for wars

The Belgian defence and public health ministries are asking Belgian universities to pay more attention to ensuring that healthcare students are better prepared for potential conflict situations. It’s a message the deans of the Flemish faculties of medicine are already responding to, writes Colin Clapson for VRT NWS.

“For a resilient population, we need healthcare as well as an army. We want to ensure that students are aware of what can go wrong and how best to respond,” says Piet Hoebeke, dean of the faculty of medicine and health sciences at Ghent University.

A group of experts is looking at how more military aspects can be integrated into medicine training. This may range from an optional subject to an extra masters programme. Resilience can also be addressed in other courses, for example those for physiotherapists and nurses. The changes to training will start next year.
Full report on the VRT NWS site