UZ Leuven

I went to the Emergency section of this hospital to see a doctor for my swollen and painful thumb. At the registration a tall lady with short black hair and glasses, told me why I came to the Emergency? I showed her my thumb and explain what has happened. She told me I’ve to go to my family doctor. I told her it takes time to have an appointment with my family doctor. She told me here too it takes time. She asked me did I take medication, pain killer, I said non. I want a prescription. I never self medicate myself. She was very rude and I don’t know what is she doing in a hospital? You never ask a person in pain to go somewhere else? It’s a very peculiar place in Leuven Belgium to send away patients. I’ve waited 2 h and after all people ahead of me and those after me went to see a doctor, I was always waiting for some help but nothing. I left the emergency very disappointed and with pain. I don’t know what I’ve call this place? It’s surely not a hospital and this woman not a nurse. This a public hospital means it’s working by the taxpayers money, my taxes and still they treated people less than animals. What a pity.

Very happy with the surgery there. I felt very well taken care of, the staff is excellent. My gratitude goes especially to Dr. Chaoui and Prof. Dr. Bislenghi in the Abdominale Heelkunde department. I cannot thank them enough 🙏 the nurses were also competent and careful throughout the whole time.

I recently visited one of Belgium's largest university hospitals, and overall, my experience was quite mixed. I must say, I am very impressed with how the administrative processes are handled, both in the emergency department and as a regular patient. It is quick and easy to find the right departments, and even as an English speaker, you are welcomed in a friendly manner. I understand that a university hospital is used to train new doctors, which is completely reasonable. However, what bothers me is that during several appointments, I was only seen by junior doctors. I would have appreciated the opportunity to occasionally see more experienced doctors directly, face-to-face, rather than just having the junior doctor consult them over the phone. ---------------------- Update: Unfortunately, I have to revise my previous review and lower the rating to 2 stars. Several attempts to make appointments have failed, and emails have either gone unanswered or, even worse, been ignored. The situation mentioned above, involving junior doctors, has led to the point where another hospital is now taking care of me, as I was not satisfied with the treatment I received at UZ Leuven. I regret having to give this hospital 2 stars because the administrative staff is incredibly efficient, but good administration cannot make up for the quality of treatment I experienced.

The building is upgrading, however, the people are not upgraded. Poor hygiene practice from nurses who change surgical wounds. Twice from two different individuals, this cannot be a coincidence. If I suffer from any kind of infection due to your negligence, I will not hesitate to go to the media. I suggest the hospital send its staff periodically to hygiene courses. Start from the basics; always use a sanitizer before and after changing wounds.

All the people have different experiences in this hospital, but this hospital is known to be one of the best in Belgium. Of course, there are some ups and downs on how nurses would approach you depending on circumstances. My overall experience has been great as nurses were friendly and doctors was great (even there is a time when they do want to sketch out the worse case scenario just so you won't get disappointed if something were to happen). The hospital has 2 cafeterias to eat, one just nearby the entrances (great sandwitchs, pasteties and other stuffs for good prices) and it closes before 6pm if I am not mistaken. But there are other cafeteria which serves warm food besides salad and other stuffs, that opens til 8pm. The accessibility of this hospital is good (enough parking spaces and you can also take the buses from the train station, if you want to know the time table, you can find the live status just before the main exits or just go at the bus stop where big board are listed). Furthermore, they have stores for you to get gifts like flowers, stuffed animals, chocolates, etc. Or vending machines when all of the stores or cafeterias are closed.