Belgian Billionaire Sparks Outrage Over Older People’s Care

Belgian businessman and billionaire Roland Duchâtelet has sparked political outrage after suggesting that the government should examine the high cost of caring for older people during the final year of their lives instead of cutting tax benefits for professional football clubs.

His comments have triggered strong reactions from CD&V leader Sammy Mahdi and Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau, who both condemned his remarks during Belgium’s ongoing debate over how to save 10 billion euros in public spending.

Duchâtelet, a businessman and former owner of football clubs including Standard Liège and STVV, made the controversial comments on Thursday evening during the television programme *De Tafel van Ruben* on Play.

Roland Duchâtelet Questions the Cost of Caring for Older People

The discussion began after Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) proposed reducing the special social security contribution benefits enjoyed by professional football clubs.

The measure could generate around 70 million euros for public finances. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) also supported reviewing the financial advantages given to professional football.

Duchâtelet strongly opposed the proposal, arguing that the government should look elsewhere for savings.

During the television discussion, he claimed that the final year of a person’s life costs around 10 billion euros in total each year.

He questioned whether some medical treatments given to older patients were always necessary, arguing that people who might prefer to die sometimes continue receiving medication and undergoing operations.

“This is a forbidden discussion,” Duchâtelet said, suggesting that the government should examine whether there are opportunities to reduce spending in this area.

His comments quickly became controversial, particularly because they linked the cost of end-of-life healthcare to the government’s search for billions of euros in savings.

Sammy Mahdi: “Ideas That Belong in the Nazi Regime”

CD&V leader Sammy Mahdi reacted angrily to Duchâtelet’s statements, describing his reasoning as unacceptable and deeply offensive.

Mahdi said that treating older people as a financial burden whose lives could be shortened to save public money was an attack on human dignity.

He also warned against judging the value of someone’s life based on their economic contribution to society.

According to Mahdi, older adults deserve the same respect and access to healthcare as everyone else, regardless of whether they are still able to work.

He also stressed that euthanasia is an extremely personal and serious decision that must be based on the patient’s wishes and wellbeing.

“It must never become a tool for achieving budget targets or reducing spending on care for older people,” Mahdi said.

He called on Duchâtelet to reconsider his statements and said he should be ashamed of making such remarks.

Conner Rousseau Calls the Argument “Unacceptable”

Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau also strongly criticised the businessman. In a social media response, Rousseau said he was shocked by what he had heard during the television programme.

He accused Duchâtelet of suggesting that society should consider allowing people to die earlier because their final year of life costs too much.

Rousseau described the argument as “Unacceptable” and completely out of touch. He also questioned whether Belgium really wanted to follow such an approach simply to protect financial advantages enjoyed by professional football clubs.

The Vooruit leader said his party would continue fighting for fairer policies, stronger purchasing power and affordable, high-quality healthcare, including for older people.

Rousseau added that millionaires and billionaires should contribute more towards solving Belgium’s financial problems rather than placing additional pressure on people who need healthcare.

Belgium’s Government Faces a €10 Billion Budget Challenge

The controversy comes as Belgium’s federal government struggles to find around 10 billion euros in savings and additional revenue to put public finances on a more sustainable path by 2029.

Reducing financial advantages for professional football is one of the proposals being discussed, but the debate has expanded to include healthcare spending, pensions and contributions from wealthy individuals.

Duchâtelet’s comments have now added another sensitive issue to the discussion: how much society should spend on medical treatment during the final stages of life.

While the businessman called for a debate about healthcare costs, the reactions from Mahdi and Rousseau show how strongly his remarks have divided political opinion.

The debate also raises wider questions about the balance between public spending, medical care and the dignity and rights of older people in Belgium.