Guidelines for the media

The Communication department of Saint-Luc makes every effort to respond in the most effective and appropriate way to requests from media representatives. However, they must take into account certain limitations inherent to the respect of patient’s privacy.

• The hospital will at all time gives priority to the protection of patient’s privacy and intimacy. The Communication department, as well as health professionals, will not make comments about the condition of a particular patient.
• Under no circumstances will the Communication department comment on whether or not a patient is present in the hospital.
• The Communication department will not be an intermediary between media representatives and an inpatient. Only the protection of a patient’s privacy and intimacy can justify the intervention of the Communication department in an established relationship between the patient and one or more media representatives.
• Hospital stay is sometimes a stressful moment for patients and their families. At this particular moment, the priority of the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc is to provide them with quality care. Patients and their families may wish to have no contact with the media. This wish must be respected.

Filming and pictures

• Requests for filming should be addressed to the Communication department. Generally speaking, we will relay the requests as long as the shooting is in connection with the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc.
• The Communication Department will no longer respond to filming requests that do not directly concern the activity of the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc. Faced with the growing demand for this type of filming (sets, medical environments, operating rooms, etc.), our institution ensures to preserve the comfort of patients and staff members who take care of them.
• Media representatives are invited to contact the Communication department before visiting the Cliniques' buildings. Filming and photography must be authorized in advance by the Communication department or a management member of the Cliniques. Upon arrival at the Cliniques, media representatives are invited to present themselves at the reception desk in the main hall of the Cliniques.
• A patient's agreement to the diffusion of his or her image cannot be presumed because of the patient's presence on the filming location. His or her agreement must be obtained before any diffusion.
• Requests have to be addressed to communication-externe-saintluc@uclouvain.be – +32 2 764 11 45

Availability of staff members

Cliniques' staff members (doctors, nurses, administrators, paramedics) have expertise that they are free to share with the media. Depending on the nature of the request, the Communications department will forward requests from media representatives to the appropriate specialist. However, staff members have the right to refuse requests from the media.