Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS)
Detachement Casteau -
Medical Clinic -
Care/Services/Specialists/Referrals
CFPO 5048 7010 Casteau, Belgium
Emergency Care
Routine Medical Care
Allergy Shots/Immunizations
Pharmacy
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Specialist Referrals
Care After Clinic Hours
(Walk-In-Clinics)
Medical Documentation
Family Members/Dependants
Everywhere within the European community, with a GSM (Cell Phone) call 112 instead of 911 for emergencies. If the operator does not speak English, do not hang up, leave the phone off the hook, and they will trace your location. This also applies for cellular phones. Plan ahead and learn where the closest hospital or medical facility is before an emergency occurs. Do not forget your passport if you go to an emergency room. Addresses for hospitals with emergency rooms are listed below. Maps are available at the clinic.
The Canadian Medical Clinic offers routine medical care. It is essentially a family practice clinic, which is open only during normal duty hours. The clinic is not a walk-in clinic, nor is it an emergency room. It is the same as a family doctor’s office in Canada, and such, does not have the staff or the equipment to handle emergencies or very sick individuals.
Routine appointments (annual medical and fitness exams, regular follow-ups, etc.) can be made through the appointment line. Annual medical exams for military members should be booked through the Canadian Medical Clinic.
Health Services offered are most routine adult, pediatric and prenatal care, which can be offered by family physicians. The Canadian Medical Clinic is staffed and mandated to provide Health Care to CF military members. Canadian family members are also encouraged to utilize the Cdn Medical Clinic as their Primary Care Provider. The Cdn Medical Clinic staff is employed at the Clinic to serve Canadian military members and their dependants but also to help providing care to all SHAPE ID Card holders. You should have reported to this office when you arrived, as part of your clearances, as all CF personnel and dependants must be registered in order to obtain services at the Clinic.
The SHAPE Health Care Facility’s immunization Clinic is open during normal hours of operation except Thursday mornings. For Immunizations, you do not require an appointment. Do not forget your Immunization Record (yellow book) when reporting for immunizations.
The Allergy Clinic is open on Thursday afternoons only. Call prior 5848. However, to receive allergy shots at the clinic, a clinical staff member must refer you.
The US Pharmacy will dispense Shape’s doctors’ prescriptions only. Over-the-counter medications (i.e. Tylenol, Sudafed, Cough Syrup, Motrin) providing you have a self help course, but can be purchased at the Chievres Commissary. Products are also available on the local economy.
There are limited OB/Gyn services available through the clinic. OB patients are referred to a civilian hospital. Patients give birth in local hospitals.
Accessing health care in Europe is much the same for dependants as it is in Canada. A dependant is free to go to any health care provider or facility they choose. One major difference is that dependants are given access to the medical clinic where a Canadian Medical Officer can see them. As well as in Canada, dependants can decide to use a family doctor or a medical clinic in the community.
Care After Clinic Hours (Walk-In-Clinics)
In some local newspaper, you will find pages of ‘’Emergency Services”.The ‘’ Jeudi-Soir’’ free delivered local newspaper details a ‘’SERVICE D’URGENCE’’ with all localities. This list provides phone numbers to contact a Belgian Doctor in case of emergencies after clinic hours. The services consist of a doctor who will come to your home to give care. As well, at all times, you can go to the emergency department of any hospital. The Belgian pharmacies can fill prescriptions given by a local doctor. You will find duty pharmacies, again in the same newspaper as above, across the region; they are marked with the green cross, if they are turned on, it means the pharmacy is open. The SHAPE pharmacy will not fill prescription from a local doctor.
The SHAPE Health Care Facilities, the Cdn Medical Clinic and the NATO Clinic all refer to specialists for complicated medical matters. Some of the staff at those Hospitals speaks English. There is a Duty Liaison officer situated at two local hospital; St-Joseph and Ambroise Paré, they will assist you with language difficulty one may have. Maps and directions are available at the Cdn Medical Clinic. CF member seen by a specialist should ensure the Cdn Medical Clinic has also approved the recommended course of action and thus ensuring it is within the CF Spectrum of Care and is reimbursable.
ie. Specialist recommends “Massage Therapy” sessions – this therapy is not covered by CF Spec of Care and special permission for reimbursement would have to be obtained prior to commencement.
Most of the personnel’s within CFSU(E) Det SHAPE and Brussels are under the medical responsibility of the SHAPE Canadian Medical Clinic, your military medical records CF 2034, are kept here at the clinic. The responsibility rests with the CF member to ensure that they obtain all medical documentation for any health care visits with those health care providers outside the SHAPE and Brussels Health Care facilities. Any members or dependant referred out to a specialist will have a consult detailing the billing and health records procedure, helping the local hospital to forward the documentation to the treating physician.
