In the centre, the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) brings together several facilities: the Kannerklinik (paediatrics), the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, the Clinique d’Eich and the Hôpital Municipal. It features a full technical platform and emergency services. Hôpitaux Robert Schuman (HRS) is a non-profit private hospital group that operates four sites in central Luxembourg: Hôpital Kirchberg (emergency and general medicine), Clinique Bohler (maternity and mother-child care), Zithaklinik (multidisciplinary care) and Clinique Sainte Marie (geriatrics).
In the south, the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) spans three sites--Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange and Niederkorn--and offers comprehensive medical specialities.
To the north, the Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHDN), based in Ettelbruck and Wiltz, provides emergency care, general medicine, intensive care and outpatient services.
Beyond these general hospitals, Luxembourg also hosts six centres of excellence:
INCCI: interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery
Centre François Baclesse (CFB): radiotherapy
CHNP: psychiatric care and psychological rehabilitation
Rehazenter: functional and physical rehabilitation
HIS Steinfort: geriatric rehabilitation
Centre de Colpach, Luxembourg Red Cross: post-oncology and physical rehabilitation
Booking a doctor’s appointment is straightforward. You can do so by phone or via platforms like Doctena, a user-friendly app that has become indispensable.
Pharmacies
Whether it’s Sunday, a public holiday or the middle of the night, medication is always within reach thanks to Luxembourg’s on-call pharmacy service.
Note: pharmacists are authorised to charge a “call-out fee” for out-of-hours service: €6.87 from 7pm-10pm or on Sundays/public holidays from 8am-7pm and €15.11 from 10pm-8am.
To find your nearest on-call pharmacy, visit pharmacie.lu
Health insurance: overview of the system
The Luxembourg healthcare system provides universal coverage through compulsory health insurance and long-term care insurance.
Every worker, whether employed or self-employed, must be affiliated with the Joint Social Security Centre (Centre commun de la sécurité sociale, or CCSS). This affiliation enables coverage by the National Health Fund (Caisse nationale de santé, CNS), which manages both health insurance and maternity insurance.
Employees are directly affiliated via their employers; self-employed workers are responsible for handling their own affiliation procedures.
The CNS covers healthcare and preventive medicine, as well as assistance and care required by a dependent at home or in an institution. It also pays monetary benefits related to illness and maternity. All minors and children under 30 years old residing in Luxembourg who are not personally insured can be covered by the insurance of an affiliated parent.
Medical expenses are covered, on average, up to 90%. Detailed information on covered benefits and reimbursement amounts can be found on the CNS website. Hospitalisation costs are directly paid by health insurance, excluding doctor’s fees. It is possible to subscribe to private complementary insurance to cover all health expenses. Some companies also offer such coverage to their employees as part of their salary package.
Insured individuals are free to choose their doctor. However, it is advisable to verify that the doctor is affiliated with the public health system to avoid reimbursement refusals or partial reimbursements. Receiving treatment abroad is possible, but a prior agreement request from the CNS may be required. Every insured person has a personal health space on the myguichet.lu website. From this space, you can manage your interactions with the CNS--including managing appointments--and track your reimbursements.
Reimbursement and direct payment
Traditionally, the CNS reimburses medical expenses retrospectively upon presentation of a paid invoice from a doctor or pharmacist. Sending supporting documents by the post is free; invoices can also be submitted directly to a CNS branch. Direct reimbursement is possible if the invoice exceeds €100 and was paid less than 15 days ago. To use this service, it is essential to make an online appointment. The CNS is currently developing a immediate direct payment (PID) system for doctors. If a doctor has joined this programme, patients will no longer need to advance the costs covered by health insurance.
This article was written for the August/September 2025 issue of Paperjam magazine (Expat Guide), published on 10 July. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the site to contribute to the full Paperjam archive. Click this link to subscribe to the magazine.
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