“The Netherlands currently has a few million patients. However, I expect the number of medical customers to increase to 16 million in the future. As doctors become better at predicting diseases and preventing disorders, everyone wishes to visit them. Prevention is our challenge for the future.

Apart from a larger number of customers, patients will increasingly travel the world to seek health care services. Globalization of the health care industry has turned medical tourism into a trend. Subsequently, health care institutions no longer need to provide every kind of available care. Instead, they can focus on their strong points which is, indeed, the strategy of the University Hospital azM. Situated in the South Limburg region, it has two other important university hospitals as neighbours. We need to take advantage of this proximity by joining forces.”
Guy Peeters, President of the Board of Directors

High quality health care
High quality health care services are a priority to European citizens. Its patient-centered philosophy enables the University Hospital Maastricht azM to fulfill this demand for high quality health care. We use a multidisciplinary approach, in close collaboration with the Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) of Maastricht University, which strengthens our efforts to offer patients the best medical services on offer.

Care & Treatment
The azM provides general hospital care to patients living in the South of Limburg. Thanks to its function as an expertise center, its top-level specialized care and complex care, the University Hospital azM treats an increasing number of patients that are referred by general hospitals.
In addition to treatment and care, the prevention and prediction of diseases is becoming evermore important. The development of demand-driven care has led to the establishment of Care Centers that offer specific multidisciplinary treatments. The azM has established care centers in four areas: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic disease and mental health. These centers combine various disciplines for the prevention, treatment and cure of disorders.

Care center
A care center, also known as ‘care chain’, is an integrated, process-focused approach that encompasses diagnosis, care, research and training. Each care chain provides patient-focused care, consisting of both ‘care’ and ‘cure’. Patient care, training and research are closely linked  in the care chain. Thanks to this close cooperation, new treatment methods can be introduced more rapidly than before. 

The aim of each care chain is to become an international ‘center of excellence’. Different disciplines, hospital departments and external enterprises work together within the chains. As a university hospital, the azM can provide advanced medical treatment using the latest technology from outside parties as well as the complex and multidisciplinary expertise available within the hospital itself.

Moreover, the azM continues to play a significant role as a regional hospital for primary care. The azM assists general practioners, nurses and other external care-providers that are part of the chain. Its strong dual identity as a university hospital and a regional hospital enables azM to spark off innovations in care.