Philippe Decruyenaere

Ghent University Hospital is one of the largest and most specialized health care providers in Flanders. It stands out for its optimum clinical patient care. Patient care, teaching, scientific research and providing services to the population are the main tasks of the hospital. Through the combined action of these tasks and the close-knit cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Ghent university, the hospital is able to provide a wide range of high-quality primary and specialized care, nationally as well as internationally. Our main concern is to provide the best care to patients. Ghent University Hospital is also a centre for scientific research and teaching where doctors and specialist are trained. Researchers work in several departments on new techniques to improve diagnosis, treatment and care. The hospital has more than 1000 beds for acute care and extensive services for ambulatory diagnosis, treatment and care. Patients come tothe hospital for all kinds of treatments ranging from basic to highly specialised. Annually, about 75.000 patients are admitted and 400.000 outpatients are treated. Day or night, the UZ Gent guarantees a full-duty service for all kinds of specialized care. A medical intervention team with a doctor and a nurse from the emergency unit is put into action to offer assistance in life-threatening situations. As a university centre, the hospital offers a wide range of care: not only basic, but also highly specialized hospital care. Every medical specialty for normal and intensive care is represented.