Hospitals & healthcare
Who's entitled to healthcare and where to find hospitals and out of hours emergency help? Find out in our guide to hospitals in Luxembourg
Photo: Anouk Anthony
Most of us never plan a hospital visit, unless it's to welcome a new child into the world. The good news is that if you do need hospital care, Luxembourg’s healthcare system ranked 12th in the world by the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index.
It has 18 hospitals or treatment centres with more than 3,000 beds, and the government plans to expand the Robert Schuman Hospitals in Kirchberg with patient hotels and an extension of home care.
In 2019, the government it would inject €207m of investment into the country's hospitals, which are are state-funded (none are privately owned). More recently, in addition to medical degrees, the University of Luxembourg has started to offer four nursing qualifications.
Who is entitled to hospital treatment?
All residents of Luxembourg are entitled to emergency healthcare in the Grand Duchy, but if you are not part of the CNS (Caisse Nationale de Santé) you will need other health insurance for non-emergency care, as you have not made social security contributions.
Emergencies
For emergencies you should ring 112, and speak to an operator who will ascertain if the emergency requires an ambulance. Otherwise you can go directly to the Cas d'Urgence (Emergency department) of a hospital, but be aware that not all of Luxembourg's hospitals have emergency or out of hours services.
You can find information such as hospitals, pharmacies, and dentists on call or taking emergencies here.
To admit yourself in an emergency you must bring your ID or passport, your CNS card, private health insurance or European Health Insurance Card. If you don't have insurance, you may be asked to pay a deposit. Once you have been treated, payment for treatment may be requested on site or invoiced to your home address.
Not all hospital staff can speak English, particularly outside City locations. A medical translation tool to help guide you through medical terminology was added to the Luxembourg Online Dictionary.
General admission to hospital
You need a doctor's referral to be admitted to hospital but you can also make appointments directly with specialists. Waiting times may vary and can take a few weeks, but in general the speed of treatment in Luxembourg is favourable compared to other EU countries. Similarly, the out-of-pocket expenses of patients is amongst the lowest in the EU.
More than half of Luxembourgers have additional health insurance. © Photo credit: Shutterstock
You need a doctor's referral to be admitted to hospital but you can also make appointments directly with specialists. Waiting times may vary and can take a few weeks, but in general the speed of treatment in Luxembourg is favourable compared to other EU countries. Similarly, the out-of-pocket expenses of patients is amongst the lowest in the EU.
Inpatient or outpatient treatment
The CNS covers outpatient and inpatient treatment in hospitals in 2nd class rooms, which means you are likely to be sharing with 1-2 other people. If you want a 1st class private room it will cost you extra unless you have private health insurance, which some 56% of the population has. You will only use 3rd class ward-style rooms if there are no other rooms available.
If you are admitted as an inpatient by a licensed hospital doctor you will be discharged by the attending doctor. As an outpatient, you have the right to leave a hospital at any time but you may be asked to sign a certificate of discharge.
Inpatient – what you should take and visiting hours
Inpatients should take a change of clothes and bedwear, toiletries and money for sundry items such as bottled water. Visiting hours are restricted for the benefit of patient recovery and staff levels, so check at the specific hospital you are attending.
Costs
The CNS has a reimbursement system, so expect to pay after your treatment and then claim your money back. CNS card-holders will be charged a standard amount for overnight stays or day visits of between €10-€25. The CNS will reimburse between 80% to 100% of treatment, medical care, drugs, tests, travel costs, medical devices or aids, rehabilitation costs or maternity care. Full details of what is covered by the CNS for hospital visits can be found here.
Depending on your private health insurance, you may be able to recover additional costs or the full cost of treatment. You can find a full list of private health insurance providers here and a comparison website here.
Where to find hospitals
Government plans to expand Robert Schuman hospitals. © Photo credit: Guy Jallay
Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) (includes Clinique Pédiatrique/Kannerklinik), 4 Ernst Barblé, Strassen, tel: 44 11 11 (Kannerklinik 44 11 31 33),website: www.chl.lu
CHL – Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, 120 Route d’Arlon, Strassen, tel 44 11 11, website: https://maternite.chl.lu/
CHL – Clinique d’Eich, 78 Rue d’Eich, Weimerskirch, tel: 44 11 12, website: www.chl.lu
Hôpital Kirchberg (part of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman), 5 Rue Edward Steichen, Kirchberg, tel : 24 68 1, website : www.hkb.lu
Clinique Bohler (part of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman), 5 Rue Edward Steichen, Kirchberg, tel : 26 33 31, website : https://www.hopitauxschuman.lu/fr/etablissement/clinique-bohler/
ZithaKlinik (part of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman), 36 Rue Ste Zithe (Gare quartier), tel : 28 88 1, website : www.zitha.lu
Clinique Sainte-Marie (part of Hôpitaux Robert Schuman), 7-11 Rue Würth-Paquet, Esch-sur-Alzette, tel : 57 12 31, website:https://www.hopitauxschuman.lu/fr/etablissement/clinique-sainte-marie/. This clinic is due to close and services move to Kirchberg in 2022.
Centre Hospitalier du Nord (includes maternity), 120 Avenue Salentiny, Ettelbrück, tel : 81 66 1, website : www.chdn.lu
Clinique Saint Joseph, 10 Rue Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, Wiltz, tel : 81 66 9, website : www.chdn.lu
Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch – Hôpital Princesse Marie-Astrid, 187 Avenue de la Liberté, Niederkorn, tel : 57 11 1, website : www.chem.lu
Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch – Hôpital de la Ville de Dudelange, Rue de l’Hôpital, Dudelange, tel : 57 11 1, website : www.chem.lu
Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch – Centre Médical Clinique Sainte Marie, Rue Emile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette, tel : 57 11 1 , website : www.chem.lu
Hôpital Intercommunal, 1 Rue de l’Hôpital, Steinfort, tel: 39 94 91 1, website: www.his.lu
Centre Hospitalier Neuro-Psychiatrique, 17 Avenue des Alliérs, Ettlelbrück, tel : 26 82 37 00, website : www.chnp.lu
Centre Thérapeutique Useldange, 14 Rue d’Everlange, Useldange, tel : 23 63 03 20, website : www.ctu.lu
Centre Thérapeutique Manternach, Château Syrdall, Manternach, tel : 71 06 06, website : www.syrdallschlass.lu
Centre Thérapeutique Diekirch, 1 Rue Clairefontaine, Diekirch, tel : 26 80 08 35
Rehazenter (National Rehabilitation Centre), 1 Rue André Vésale, tel : 26 91 8, website : https://rehazenter.lu/en/
Family planning – City, Esch-Belval, Ettelbruck www.pfl.lu
On-call services - medical centres, dentists, specialists
On-call hospitals operate emergency services, some to specific hours, and clinics and hospitals on duty are listed daily. On-call medical centres for access to doctors out of hours (nights, weekends and public holidays) can be found here, with more information on emergency services here.
If you need an emergency dentist, you'll find details for the Centre Medico Dentaire here. You'll find other emergency dentists in our article here.
You can find details of specialists or specific disciplines such as psychiatry, obstetrics or geriatrics here. To search in English (and for English-speaking specialists) you can use the Doctena.lu website.
More information
Sante.lu is the government health portal providing advice on illness prevention, details of procedures for claiming reimbursement of health expenditure, as well as legislation, articles and publications on health.
You can find leaflets about the hospitals in Luxembourg on the CNS website. You can read our article on finding a medical specialist here, and one on finding a doctor or dentist here.
For a lighter take on surgery in Luxembourg, read "Under the knife in another language".
