Intercultural Mediation

Intercultural mediation is a service that facilitates communication between patients and healthcare professionals when language or cultural differences complicate interactions. It helps to ensure better understanding and guarantees equitable access to care, regardless of the patient’s background.

The intercultural mediator acts as a link between the patient and the healthcare professional. They ensure an accurate translation of the conversation and help to foster an understanding of cultural differences that may influence communication or expectations.

They support the patient, encourage active listening and help to build a climate of trust.

Like all healthcare professionals, they are bound by professional confidentiality.

This service can be requested when linguistic or cultural communication difficulties arise between a patient and a healthcare professional.

The clinic provides an interpreting service to facilitate communication and ensure a clear understanding of medical information, whether the request comes from the patient or the healthcare staff.

The intercultural mediation service can also be used when a patient needs specific support to understand the care on offer, ask questions or express their needs.

The clinic provides a communication tool from the Federal Public Service for Public Health that enables remote intercultural mediation to be organised via videoconference with professional interpreters.

This service facilitates communication between the patient and healthcare staff, improves understanding of medical information and ensures clear communication within a secure and confidential setting.

A wide range of languages are available:
Albanian, English, Classical Arabic and Maghrebi Arabic, Berber, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Bulgarian, Dari, Spanish, Farsi, Macedonian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Chechen, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu.

These languages are available from Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm, or can be requested by appointment between 8.00 am and 6.30 pm.

Although this service covers many situations, its use may sometimes be limited, particularly in the event of technical difficulties, if an interpreter is unavailable, in particularly emotional situations, or if the patient prefers another means of communication.