Vandenbroucke wants Health to take charge of 1733 after heatwave pressure
Frank Vandenbroucke wants the federal health authorities to regain control of Belgium’s 1733 non-urgent medical helpline, L’Echo reports, after the heatwave exposed pressure on medical call handling.
In 30 seconds
- L’Echo reports that Frank Vandenbroucke wants Health to take back management of 1733.
- FPS Public Health says 1733 is for non-urgent medical help when a usual GP is unavailable.
- The Risk Management Group activated the ozone and heat alert phase on 23 June 2026.
- FPS Public Health says 1733 is still being introduced in phases across Belgium.
The subject is Belgium’s 1733 helpline, a non-urgent medical number for out-of-hours GP care. Frank Vandenbroucke is Belgium’s federal health minister; L’Echo reports that he wants Health to regain responsibility for managing the service after heatwave pressure.
Background
Belgium’s ozone and heat plan has staged phases for vigilance, warning and alert. FPS Public Health says the alert phase activated on 23 June 2026 was the first since August 2020.
What to do
For residents, the rule remains unchanged: call 1733 for non-urgent out-of-hours GP help and 112 for life-threatening emergencies.
Impact
Regional — The impact differs by region because 1733 is still rolled out in phases and some areas continue to rely on local guard-post numbers, according to FPS Public Health.
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