Doctors in Luxembourg

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Last update on February 20, 2020

Unfortunately, we all need medical assistance at various stages in life. This guide includes information on finding doctors or a pharmacy in Luxembourg. It also refers to useful resources such as Doctena and Book My Doc.

If you are considering a move to Luxembourg, you may be pleased to hear that it has a high-quality state-funded healthcare system available to all citizens. It is considered one of the best in Europe. This includes access to doctors and specialists who provide services through the National Health Fund (Caisse Nationale Sante – CNS). Luxembourg has over 1,500 doctors and physicians in total, including around 500 general doctors. In a country with a population of just over 575,000, this works out at approximately 2.86 doctors per 1,000 of the population. This is below the EU average of 3.6.

Conditions for seeing one of the doctors in Luxembourg

Doctors in Luxembourg work as private practitioners but most are contracted to provide services through the state-funded CNS. You are free to choose your own doctor in Luxembourg and to change them at any time but check first that they are contracted to provide state health care to avoid excess fees.

Most doctors in Luxembourg work in health clinics. All citizens in Luxembourg are eligible to register with a doctor at a clinic local to them. Doctors’ services are provided for free through the CNS covered through social security contributions. Insurance payments cover dependent family members. Children, students up to the age of 27 and those on low incomes do not have to make CNS contributions.

Non-citizens and those in Luxembourg on short visits will need to take out private health insurance to access doctors in Luxembourg. Those on a temporary visit from the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland can use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). See our guides to health insurance in Luxembourg and the EHIC for more information.

Once you’ve registered with a doctor in Luxembourg, you can either make an appointment (rendezvous) with them through the clinic reception or attend a walk-in session. Check with your doctor or clinic to see what the system is. Walk-in surgeries are often done on a ticketed basis (similar to supermarket counters) and there can be a long wait, so it might be worth trying to make an appointment if possible as you can often get seen by a doctor on the same day. Many doctors will also carry out home visits. Most doctors in Luxembourg speak a reasonable level of English so you will be unlikely to experience a language problem.

Standard services offered by doctors in Luxembourg are treating illnesses and ailments, prescribing medication, offering health prevention support and advice, and health education. Surgery opening hours are normally Monday to Saturday (closed Wednesday and Saturday afternoons).

See our guide to healthcare in Luxembourg for more general information on the country’s health system.

How to find a specialist or doctor in Luxembourg

You can find a list of doctors in Luxembourg by speciality or location through the College Medical website here. This includes specialists such as Ophtalmologuess in Luxembourg. You can also find practitioners using the Doctena Luxembourg website, which lets you search by speciality, location and language and allows you to make online appointments.

You can also ask for suggestions from local experts on the Expatica Ask the Expert service if you want to find a recommended or Seeing specialist doctors in Luxembourg

Luxembourg has many specialists among its medical professionals. In fact, less than a third of its overall doctors and physicians are listed as general practitioners. Specialists in Luxembourg include gynaecologists, cardiologists, dermatologists, and oncologists. There are also several specialist hospitals in Luxembourg where specialist doctors are based.

Unlike in many other European countries, you do not need to be referred by your doctor to visit a specialist in Luxembourg. You can make an appointment directly and can find specialists through the College Medical and Doctena Luxembourg websites.

Specialist doctors in Luxembourg can be found in hospitals and speciality clinics and centres. Although there are many specialists in Luxembourg, waiting lists to see them can be long. Most operate by appointment only.

See our guide to hospitals in Luxembourg for details of speciality hospitals.

What to do when you see one of the doctors in Luxembourg

When you attend a doctor’s appointment in Luxembourg, you should report to the reception and present your social security card (or proof of health insurance). It is advisable to have your medical records to hand if you have them.

Doctors’ appointments in Luxembourg do not usually last too long. Although they generally speak good English, doctors in Luxembourg don’t tend to spend a lot of time chatting during appointments and can be quite reserved in their manner.

Once you have had an appointment with a doctor in Luxembourg, they will keep your health information on a patient record which you are entitled to view at any point. Patients with chronic or severe illnesses will have a more detailed summary of their condition and the doctor will be responsible for monitoring and for coordinating the long-term care they receive as well as offering support and advice. You will need to collect your medicine from the pharmacy in Luxembourg.

Before you leave, you will need to pay the bill for your appointment. This will usually be done at the reception either before or after your appointment. Make sure you get a receipt to send to the insurer for reimbursement. If you have been prescribed medication, you can pick it up from a local pharmacy. Most pharmacies in Luxembourg are open only during business hours but there are also duty chemists available out of hours. See here for a list of pharmacies in Luxembourg.

Costs of specialists and doctors in Luxembourg

Visits to doctors and specialists in Luxembourg are free through the CNS but you have to pay upfront and get a reimbursement from the insurer. Fees are set by the government and all doctors contracted to provide services through the CNS must charge a standard amount.

The majority of services and products available through the CNS are reimbursed at rates between 80 – 100% of the full cost. Consultations with doctors and specialists in Luxembourg are reimbursed at 100%. Treatment is reimbursed at rates between 80 – 100%. Most prescription drugs are reimbursed at 80%. Some clinics will charge a non-refundable fee if appointments are cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Reimbursements at rates of between 80 – 100% are made for the following:

medical care
drugs
treatment
analysis and laboratory tests
prosthetics
hearing, visual and speech aids
travel costs
medical devices
maternity care
rehabilitation costs
funeral costs

A list of medication prices can be found here (in French).

Private insurance for medical treatment in Luxembourg

If you are not covered by public health insurance in Luxembourg or want a higher level of coverage, you can choose to go private. There are several international health insurance companies which offer different coverage packages for expats in Luxembourg, including:

Seeing one of the doctors in Luxembourg in an emergency situation

The emergency number for ambulances in Luxembourg is 112, for police, it’s 113. Emergency care is provided in emergency rooms in larger hospitals and will be provided free of charge even to those with no health insurance. A list of emergency numbers for Luxembourg can be found here.

If you need out-of-hours treatment from a doctor in Luxembourg, you should first try contacting your regular doctor. Hospitals and clinics in each area rotate emergency provision between them. Lists are published daily in local papers and health outlets. The Luxweb Today website publishes the list along with a list of useful emergency numbers and information.