Dr Joe Hellers - Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery

01/03/2026

De vrije uitoefening van de medische beroepen berust op een duidelijk principe: wij zijn geen werknemers van de overheid.

Wij hebben geen arbeidsovereenkomst met de overheid.

Geconventioneerde zorgverleners hebben een overeenkomst. Een overeenkomst is geen arbeidsovereenkomst en verleent in geen enkel opzicht het statuut van werknemer.

Als wij werknemers waren, zouden wij:
• betaalde vakantie hebben
• loonbehoud bij ziekte hebben
• een pensioen ontvangen dat vergelijkbaar is met dat van een werknemer
• opleidingen krijgen die door de werkgever worden gefinancierd
• investeringen zien die door de werkgever worden gedragen

Is dat het geval? Nee.

Onze vakanties worden niet vergoed.
Bij ziekte stopt ons inkomen of daalt het sterk.
Ons pensioen hangt af van onze eigen bijdragen.
Onze opleidingen, ons materiaal, onze praktijk, ons personeel, onze kosten… die financieren wij zelf om een geneeskunde te waarborgen die up-to-date en van hoge kwaliteit is.

Het RIZIV hoort onze honoraria niet vast te leggen, maar enkel het niveau van zijn terugbetalingen.

Of men moet ons een echt werknemersstatuut aanbieden, met de bijbehorende rechten.

Men kan niet de macht van een werkgever willen zonder de bijbehorende verplichtingen op zich te nemen.

Het vrije beroep verdedigen betekent de samenhang, verantwoordelijkheid en onafhankelijkheid vrijwaren.

01/03/2026

L’exercice libéral des professions médicales repose sur un principe clair : nous ne sommes pas des salariés de l’État.

Nous n’avons aucun contrat de travail avec l’État.
Les professionnels conventionnés ont une convention. Une convention n’est pas un contrat de travail et ne confère en aucun cas un statut d’employé.

Si nous étions des salariés, nous aurions :
• des congés payés
• un maintien de salaire en cas de maladie
• une pension comparable à celle d’un salarié
• des formations financées par l’employeur
• des investissements pris en charge

Est-ce le cas ? Non.

Nos congés ne sont pas rémunérés.
En cas de maladie, notre revenu s’arrête ou chute fortement.
Notre retraite dépend de nos propres cotisations.
Nos formations, notre matériel, nos locaux, nos équipes, nos charges… nous les finançons nous-mêmes pour maintenir une médecine à jour et de qualité.
L’Assurance Maladie n’a pas à fixer nos honoraires, mais le niveau de ses remboursements. Sinon, qu’on nous propose un véritable statut de salarié avec les droits qui vont avec.
On ne peut pas vouloir le pouvoir de l’employeur sans en assumer les obligations.
Préserver l’exercice libéral, c’est défendre la cohérence, la responsabilité et l’indépendance.

20/02/2026

⚠️ We need your support.
Instagram accounts like .aesthetic or .academy are promoting Botox and filler injections, and even training non-physicians. In Belgium, these acts are strictly reserved for licensed doctors. Please report such accounts directly to Instagram via the three dots on their profile.�

When asked which laws are being violated, you can refer to:

Which specific laws do you believe the reported content violates?

* The Coordinated Law of 10 May 2015 on the practice of healthcare professions (Belgian Official Gazette, 18 June 2015).�• The Law of 23 May 2013 regulating the qualifications required to practise non-surgical aesthetic medicine and aesthetic surgery, as well as the advertising and information relating to these acts (Belgian Official Gazette, 2 July 2013).

Why do you believe this content violates these laws?

On social media, this company presents itself as offering aesthetic medical services, which is prohibited because it is not a legally authorized medical practice. This is misleading and may deceive patients and clients who consult the profile.

Patient safety depends on all of us. Small Country, Big Surgeons.

30/01/2026

Smooth skin should never come at the cost of your health.

Illegal Botox and hyaluronic acid injections are increasing, often carried out by non-medical practitioners drawn by low prices and quick profits. When complications occur, they are rarely minor: vascular occlusion, nerve damage, skin necrosis, permanent scarring, and sometimes, with lifelong consequences.
In Belgium, these procedures are legally restricted to trained physicians for a reason. Aesthetic injections are not simple beauty treatments; they are medical acts that require deep anatomical knowledge, clinical judgment, and the ability to manage emergencies.

Your face is not a testing ground. It deserves expertise, safety, and accountability. Small Country, Big Surgeons.

28/01/2026

20 years ago, a Belgian plastic surgeon helped make history. In 2005, Prof. Benoît Lengelé was part of the team that performed the world’s first face transplant, a breakthrough born not from ambition, but from extreme human suffering and the limits of existing reconstruction.

Face transplantation remains rare and exceptional, reserved for the most severe cases after all reconstructive options have been explored. It is never cosmetic, always carefully weighed, and ethically complex.

This milestone reminds us what plastic surgery truly is: restoring function, identity and dignity at the very edge of what medicine can offer. Small Country, Big Surgeons.

13/01/2026

13/01/2026

Les tendances d'une médecine d'État ne sont pas seulement d'actualité en France mais également discutées en Belgique, au Luxembourg et en Autriche.....

12/01/2026

Following the tragic fire in Switzerland, several young victims are currently being treated in Belgium at the Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, the Queen Astrid Military Hospital & UZ Ghent.

Belgian burn centers are internationally recognised for their high level of expertise in managing severe burns. From the acute phase to long-term follow-up, plastic and reconstructive surgeons play a central role in assessing wound depth, preserving viable tissue and planning complex reconstructions.

Severe burns involve months of treatment, multiple surgical procedures, intensive rehabilitation and psychological support. The challenge is not only survival, but restoring function, reducing scarring and helping patients rebuild their lives. Small Country, Big Surgeons.

07/01/2026

A recent court ruling in Antwerp sends a clear message: aesthetic treatments are not beauty services, they are medical acts. A beauty academy was convicted for illegal practice and misleading advertising after offering trainings in microneedling, cryolipolysis and teeth whitening, taught to non-medical participants by unqualified instructors. Legal limits were poorly explained, and patient safety was largely ignored.

This case is a reminder that training, anatomy, and regulation are not optional. When medical procedures are taught or performed without proper qualifications, public health is put at risk. Aesthetics without medical expertise isn’t innovation, it’s danger ⚠️ Small Country, Big Surgeons.

31/12/2025

🍀 Happy New Year 🍀

❤️

25/12/2025

🎄 Happy Christmas 🎄

24/12/2025

🎄Happy Christmas Holidays 🎄