Hasselt (Eurotoday) – The hospital AZ Vesalius in Tongeren has officially joined forces with Jessa Hospital in Hasselt, forming an operational group while maintaining their individual recognition numbers. This new partnership brings shared oversight of services and departments, as well as coordinated care program management across both institutions.
The collaboration between AZ Vesalius and Jessa Hospital follows in-depth discussions aimed at improving operational efficiency and addressing healthcare workforce shortages. The joint structure allows both hospitals to operate under a unified management committee, which will oversee core operations, help manage workload imbalances, and streamline the allocation of limited medical resources.
The integrated approach also supports staff development and career progression for hospital personnel. Future medical guidelines are expected to clarify which services will be maintained at both locations and how specialized care may be centralized strategically across the two campuses.
“With this new structure, we can better organize a number of medical and support services,” said Steve Hoste, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AZ Vesalius.
“That helps us to better deal with the scarcity on the labor market and gives us more room to keep the workload manageable. In addition, we can offer our employees and doctors more and better career opportunities.”
Karin Genoe, Chair of the Board of Directors at Jessa Hospital, added:
“Specifically, we have looked at which activities can continue in both hospitals. It is a logical evolution that certain specialised interventions are bundled in one hospital, supplemented with antenna points in the other.”
What is the history of Jessa Hospital’s regional healthcare partnerships?
Jessa Hospital was formed in 2010 from the merger of Virga Jesse Hospital and the Salvator-Saint-Ursula Hospital in Hasselt. It is now Limburg’s second-largest healthcare provider, with 981 officially recognized beds.
The hospital operates three campuses—Virga Jesse, Salvator, and Sint-Ursula—and also manages a logistics center. With a workforce of approximately 3,000, Jessa Hospital is currently Hasselt’s largest employer.
Its roots date back to 1626, when three nuns opened a care home in Hasselt, later evolving into the 600-bed Virga Jesse Hospital by 1965. The Salvator campus opened in 1924 and eventually merged with Sint-Ursula in 1996, leading to the creation of the contemporary Jessa Hospital.
Jessa’s oncology department has been active for over 40 years, featuring 46 medical oncology beds, 7 palliative care beds, and 10 specialized radiotherapy physicians. The hospital also runs regional cancer rehabilitation programs.
In an ambitious expansion plan, Jessa is set to construct two twenty-story towers on its Salvator campus, a €550 million project scheduled for completion by 2030. Although the hospital has long pursued partnership and integration strategies, information about its involvement in the Andreaz network or the specifics of its 2023 partnership with AZ Vesalius remain limited.
Overall, Jessa Hospital’s multistage mergers and campus network underscore its commitment to centralized specialist care and accessible local healthcare, aligning with the goals outlined in its latest collaboration with AZ Vesalius.
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