{"id":1181,"date":"2026-10-20T09:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T07:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/2026\/10\/20\/bfap-in-de-specialist-reforms-leave-patients-out-in-the-cold-as-long-as-mental-health-care-lacks-a-dedicated-budget\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T09:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T07:46:10","slug":"bfap-in-de-specialist-reforms-leave-patients-out-in-the-cold-as-long-as-mental-health-care-lacks-a-dedicated-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/en\/2026\/10\/20\/bfap-in-de-specialist-reforms-leave-patients-out-in-the-cold-as-long-as-mental-health-care-lacks-a-dedicated-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"BFAP in De Specialist: Reforms Leave Patients Out in the Cold as Long as Mental Health Care Lacks a Dedicated Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 19, the General Council of the NIHDI rejected the 2027 budget; the government will finalize it independently in December. Mental health care requires a dedicated budget, in line with WHO guidelines. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>One sector, three budgets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2020, the Chamber of Representatives chose a growth trajectory towards 12% of healthcare expenditure for mental health. First-line psychological care is growing within this framework, with its own consultative committee, consultation codes, and a budget on track to reach 250 million euros. Outpatient psychiatry is the only mental health care discipline excluded from this trajectory, as it is financed at a different table. Mental health care is divided among the BFM for hospitals, the Medicomut for psychiatrists, and the psy-mut for psychologists, and no one at these three tables has jurisdiction over the sector as a whole.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The impact on patients<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reimbursed multidisciplinary consultations have existed for years in first-line psychological care and child and adolescent psychiatry, but are lacking in adult psychiatry. A needs assessment estimates the cost at 6 million euros per year, compared to 2.7 billion euros in disability benefits for depression and burnout in 2024. Following a psychiatric admission, barely one in six patients sees a physician within a week, and after six months, a third are readmitted (Independent Health Insurance Funds, 2026). The general nomenclature reform only offers prospects for psychiatry between 2029 and 2031. Those who fall through the cracks between first-line care and the hospital cannot wait that long.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What the WHO calls for<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its practical guide of October 9, 2026, the WHO calls for a bed moratorium and a legally mandated phase-out plan, accompanied by sufficient locally directed investments in community-based care. Treatment in one&#8217;s own environment protects against stigma, isolation, and hospitalization trauma. BFAP translates this into a single mental health care budget for hospital psychiatry, mobile initiatives, supported living, first-line psychological care, psychotherapy, and outpatient psychiatry, a single consultative committee modeled on the psy-mut, and legislation that enshrines the entire framework.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only with a single budget can mental health care grow as a unified sector to meet the needs of the population.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read the article in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.despecialist.eu\/nl\/nieuws\/la-bfap-reclame-un-budget-distinct-pour-la-sante-mentale.html\">De Specialist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On October 19, the General Council of the NIHDI rejected the 2027 budget; the government will finalize it independently in December. Mental health care requires a dedicated budget, in line with WHO guidelines. One sector, three budgets In 2020, the Chamber of Representatives chose a growth trajectory towards 12% of healthcare expenditure for mental health. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":246655427,"featured_media":603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20162],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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While public debate often focuses on long-term disability, control mechanisms, or the role of health insurance funds, the core question remains neglected\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/knack-belgische-federatie-ambulante-psychiatrie-bfap-ggz.jpg?fit=332%2C232&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1162,"url":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/en\/2026\/10\/02\/bfap-in-discussion-with-politico-mental-health-care-within-eu-institutions-deserves-equal-reimbursement\/","url_meta":{"origin":1181,"position":2},"title":"BFAP in discussion with Politico: mental health care within EU institutions deserves equal reimbursement","author":"Thomas Van der Poorten","date":"2 October 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Politico highlights a question BFAP has been asking for years: is mental health care given the same priority as physical care? Within the European institutions, this is currently not the case. Belgian outpatient psychiatrists treat a large portion of EU institutional staff and see the consequences firsthand. In our clinical\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Schermafbeelding-2026-10-02-101148.png?fit=410%2C407&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/en\/2026\/04\/30\/bfap-in-federal-parliament-on-the-future-of-outpatient-mental-health-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":1181,"position":3},"title":"BFAP in Federal Parliament on the future of outpatient mental health care","author":"Thomas Van der Poorten","date":"30 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Belgian Federation for Outpatient Psychiatry (BFAP) was received today at the Federal Parliament for a substantive exchange of views with Member of Parliament Kathleen Depoorter (N-VA) regarding the future of outpatient mental health care in Belgium. The meeting focused on the growing pressure on outpatient psychiatry and the need\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/unnamed-1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1100,"url":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/en\/2026\/02\/03\/gps-in-the-ghent-region-embrace-collaborative-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":1181,"position":4},"title":"GPs in the Ghent region embrace collaborative care","author":"Thomas Van der Poorten","date":"3 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"It is inspiring to see that GPs involved in the Tussen de Lijnen project are advocating for breaking down the walls between primary and secondary care. The Ghent General Practitioners Association, together with mental health networks and psychiatrists, is already actively working on a model that strengthens primary care while\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bfap-fbpa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Medisfeer-Tussen-De-Lijnen-BFAP-Huisartsen-Psychiatrie-Eerstelijn.png?fit=422%2C422&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1107,"url":"https:\/\/bfap-fbpa.org\/en\/2026\/07\/23\/bfap-and-japanese-psychiatrists-join-forces-for-more-community-based-mental-health-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":1181,"position":5},"title":"BFAP and Japanese psychiatrists join forces for more community-based mental health care","author":"Thomas Van der Poorten","date":"23 July 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"What do Belgium and Japan have in common, besides a friendship spanning more than 160 years? \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83e\udd1d\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 More than meets the eye. Both countries struggle with a significant gap between inpatient and outpatient mental health care. 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