Dear collegue,

Belgium will be a country of asylum for many Ukrainians. The accelerated procedure to give them legal status entitles them to access healthcare. In the meantime, however, it is possible that Ukrainians in need of care are still considered “undocumented migrants”.
In France, the Confederation of Doctors' Unions (CSMF), which includes both hospital doctors and independent doctors, is asking doctors to provide care free of charge to these refugees, who are not entitled to reimbursement. We hereby also call on you to follow this principle and not to charge a fee.

The Ukrainian embassy has posted quite extensive lists of medicines and medical equipment in need on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UkrainianEmbassyBelgium). It is recommended that you cooperate with the embassy or organizations that can provide medicines and health products to Ukraine. The International Red Cross can be contacted via the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders and the Croix-Rouge de Belgique. You can also contact NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and others. The intruder may not recognize the status of aid organizations other than the International Red Cross. Unicef ​​also organizes actions for the benefit of Ukraine.

The VBS can undertake to act as a link between the Red Cross and the doctors to collect information and packages. The packages can be delivered directly to Paleis 11 at the Heysel. They are asked not to bring anything more to the Ukrainian embassy.

The VBS is in solidarity with the Ukrainian population. We cannot remain indifferent to this humanitarian drama. We ask you to assist displaced civilians and wounded and traumatized soldiers in this conflict. We are open to any proposal and any action in that sense.

dr. Jean-Luc Demeere
Chairman VBS/GBS
0475/76.63.77

This year 2022 was to be announced as a year of gradual release from pandemic pressure. Even if this threat has not been definitively ruled out, a new drama has appeared at the gates of Europe: the conflict in Ukraine, which began a few days, will not leave us intact, either individually or collectively.
 
The members of the Board of Directors of our Society associate themselves wholeheartedly with the suffering of the Ukrainian population and would like to strongly encourage all our Ukrainian colleagues in the face of this tragedy.
 
Nevertheless, despite these dramatic events, it seems essential to us to restore the links between us as quickly as possible and to comfort each other in these particularly difficult times.
 
We therefore ask you to mark the following dates in your diaries:
 
(1.) Our spring session will be held on Saturday May 7, 2022 at the Palais des Academies in Brussels;
 
(2.) The annual congress will be held on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 November 2022 at the Thor Central conference center in Genk.
 
Our intention is to organize these congresses face-to-face, but of course, we will remain attentive to developments in the health and security situations that threaten our country.
 
Please also note that, this year, there are elections for part of the Board of Directors of our scientific society during the general assembly to be held on Saturday May 7, 2022 in Brussels. More information about this will be coming soon.
 
Hoping for everyone a quick return to peace and stability in our lives and our professional activities, please accept, dear colleague, the expression of our best feelings.
 
Prof Dr JB Watelet, Managing Director
Dr. Frans Indesteege, President 2022
of the Royal Belgian Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery

SEE FOR MORE INFORMATION HERE

Dear colleagues,

As announced in our previous letter and following the deterioration of the health situation, our 2021 life Annual Congress will be postponed to March 2022.

In order to allow you to have a sufficient number of accreditation points, we have decided to propose at short notice a program of 2 half-days of videoconferences, on Friday 17 December from 14:00-18:00 and Saturday 18 December from 09:00-13:00.

The program will be made up of pre-recorded videoconferences (some of which had to be offered in December during the cancelled life congress), while others will be seminar videoconferences made available by certain colleagues.

In order to cover the costs of this rapid changing to webinars, the registration fee will be 30 euros for one day and 50 euros for the two days.

Please find here the link to the info/registration module of the B-ORL Webinar 2021: REGISTRATION

We are aware that this formula is not ideal, so great was our need to meet our colleagues and welcome our sponsors in person, but we hope that this formula will allow you to wait a little longer before our congresses return to their former format.

Marie-Paule Thill

Thomas Somers

To our great regret, the rapidly changing health conditions do not allow us to see each other again in a safe way and in full compliance with current legal guidelines.

Nevertheless, maintaining our mutual contacts around common discussions and exchanges remains the main concern of the Board of Directors of the Royal Belgian Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

 Below you will find the agenda of the upcoming activities planned by our association.

 (1.) DECEMBER 17-18 2021 (ONLINE)

- The presidents of our association are working on a virtual and condensed version of our congress and are doing everything they can to offer you an attractive program so that accreditation points can be awarded (including E&E and Snoring/OSAS) for those of you who need it .

- The registration fee is 30 euros for 1 day and 50 euros for the 2 days. You will shortly receive an email with the invitation to register.

- The registration fee will be refunded in full to members who have already registered for the planned congress. They must then re-register for the online conference. We are sorry to impose this extra step, but we prefer a full and prompt refund.

(2.) 6-7 MARCH 2021 (ANTWERP)

- We are working on a shift from the December meeting to March 6 and 7, 2022.

- May we point out that, in contrast to the previous congresses, there were only rooms available for a Sunday (6.3) and a Monday (7.3). Please keep this in mind in your professional calendar.

- At that time we will try to plan a life conference where we can also let our young ENT colleagues (session dedicated to presentations of assistants), the B-Audio members and their Dutch colleagues have the floor.

The date for the call for presentations by our assistants will therefore be brought forward and a specific email about this will be sent to the training centers at a later date.

As you understand, these dates are subject to change depending on health regulations. You will certainly be kept informed. Know that our Society continues to prefer face-to-face meetings, but that it will adapt to the circumstances in order to be able to offer a scientifically high-quality program to its members.

In this context, the Board of Directors of the Royal Belgian Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, on behalf of all its members, would like to thank once again all those who acted as chairman, secretary, treasurer, speaker, moderator or organizer, always commit to the preparation of these meetings in an efficient and discreet manner.

At the beginning of January you will receive an invitation to pay the 2022 membership fee. May we insist that you pay your contribution on time and all the more so in these troubled times of pandemic?
 
The Board of Directors of the Royal Belgian Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery is aware of the practical difficulties posed by the ever-changing situation and health limitations, but remains convinced of the importance of an association such as the ours to stand together in the face of these human tragedies that confront us every day.
 
Dear colleague, we wish you and your loved ones good health.
 
With collegial greetings,
 
Prof Dr JB Watelet
Managing Director of the Royal Belgian Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Face and Neck Surgery
 
Prof Dr MP Thill
President 2021
 
Prof Dr T Somers
President 2020
 
Dr F Indesteege
President 2022

Dear Colleague, 

Since the COVID epidemic does not allow us to organize a normal physical conference, the Spring Meeting will take place online in the form of a webinar, as in November 2020. 

May I ask you to keep Saturday 6 March free in your diary? The official program will follow in mid-February. Accreditation for this activity will also be applied for at the RIZIV/INAMI. I look forward to meeting you virtually with great enthusiasm and in good health. 

Prof Marie-Paule Thill 

Chairwoman 2021 of the Royal Belgian Association for ORL, Face and Neck Surgery