50,000 call for better recognition of osteopathy in Belgium

Organisations representing osteopathy have sent a petition of 50,000 signatures to health minister Maggie de Block, calling for the therapy to be officially recognised as a first line of care and for it to be available (and reimbursed) without prescription.

De Block agreed to acknowledge the practice as a recognised medical practice, but has refused its status as a primary form of therapy, therefore denying patients osteopathic treatment unless they receive official instruction from a GP.

A study attesting to the effectiveness of osteopathy, conducted by University of Ghent health expert Lieve Annemans, was presented along with the petition.

According to the professional union of osteopaths, 700,000 Belgians seek out osteopathic treatment each year. The union says patient satisfaction is among the highest of all healthcare providers.

The union will continue to argue for the treatment to be elevated to first-line status. “In Belgium, only physicians are working on the front line, along with dentists,” says Fredric Burnotte, vice-president of the National Association of Professional Osteopaths.

"Training of osteopaths is currently six years, the same as doctors, and students take courses in common with medical students."