The future of medicine grows up at CHL: How Luxembourg is training the next generation of doctors

Each year, the Central Hospital of Luxembourg (CHL) trains between 160 and 180 trainee doctors, officially called médecins en voie de spécialisation (MEVS) - young doctors who have already completed six years of medical education and are now learning to specialise. Here they learn by doing under the guidance of experienced mentors - surgeons, oncologists and general practitioners.

Sabrin Zaghbouni, one of CHL's trainees, started her training in Luxembourg, then continued in France and is now specialising in paediatric surgery at the Kannerklinik in Luxembourg. Her interest is paediatric surgery. "I wanted to get a broader perspective and understand how colleagues from France, Belgium and Germany work," she tells RTL.

The work rhythm is intense: trauma admissions, round-the-clock duty, inpatient management and daily participation in operations.

According to Dr Jean Reuter, chairman of the CHL medical board, conditions in Luxembourg often compare favourably with France or Belgium - both in terms of workload and salaries. However, for newcomers from Germany, where the structure is different, the system can seem more stressful.

Reuter emphasises that this system is also useful for senior colleagues: training trainees forces them to keep up to date, update their knowledge and improve their methods.

In order to retain young people and not "export" them back to the countries where they were trained, Reuter believes it is necessary to develop full medical education in Luxembourg, including specialisations. This would require the creation of a university hospital and its own scientific infrastructure.