King and Minister Bruijn on a Working Visit to the Leiden University Medical Center

News report | 01-12-2025 | 10:05

The working visit starts at the Leiden Image Guided Therapy Center (LIGT). In the center, opened in March, patients are treated using imaging techniques. CT scans, ultrasound, and X-ray devices are used to perform treatments with great precision. These treatments are used, for example, for patients with cancer, narrowing or widening of blood vessels, or a stroke. Often, these treatments are an alternative to surgical procedures. Thanks to the imaging equipment at LIGT, doctors can work very precisely without making a surgical scar. This means faster recovery and fewer complications. King Willem-Alexander and Minister Bruijn will see a demonstration of surgery without cutting.

Next, the King and Minister Bruijn go to the emergency department where a demonstration is given of the Smart Medical Application for Regional Use (SMART) for acute heart patients in the ambulance. Through a secure video connection, the expertise of a medical specialist is linked to the knowledge and skills of an ambulance professional so that they can jointly assess what the right care is for the patient. In the Hollands Midden region, this results in twenty percent fewer patients suspected of heart complaints being transported to the hospital because they can be safely treated at home.

King Willem-Alexander and Minister Bruijn also visit the pathology department where they receive a tour of the laboratory and are given an explanation of HECTOR. Hector is an AI model developed at the LUMC that can accurately predict the risk of recurrence of uterine cancer. This helps with the choice for possible follow-up treatment after surgery. Women for whom HECTOR predicts a low risk of recurrence can be spared a burdensome and expensive follow-up treatment. 

The visit concludes with a roundtable discussion with partners and stakeholders about the importance of regional cooperation for future-proof healthcare. 
The King regularly makes working visits together with a minister or state secretary. During these visits, the King sees concrete examples of the effects of the policy of the minister in practice and what the challenges are.

RVD, no. 322