Saint-Francis Hospital

The Saint-Francis Hospital is a hospital located in the municipality of Heusden-Zolder in the province of Limburg, Flanders, Belgium. It was founded in 1925 by the congregation of the Grauwzusters from Zoutleeuw. The hospital was initially built to serve the local miners and was named after the head of the Franciscan order in Heusden-Zolder.

Over the years, the hospital underwent several expansions and renovations to accommodate the growing needs of the community. In 1973, plans were made to extend the hospital with 84 additional beds, but were hindered by the poor condition of the building due to mineshaft cave-ins. Eventually, a new hospital with 224 beds was built and opened in 1985.

In 1990, the Saint-Francis Hospital merged with the Saint-Anna Hospital of Beringen, increasing its capacity to 230 beds. The hospital also introduced a department for day hospitalization in 1993.

Between 2005 and 2011, the hospital underwent extensive renovations and restructuring. New departments and specialized areas, such as a geriatrics department and operating rooms, were built, while older parts of the hospital were renovated.

In January 2001, the Saint-Francis Hospital announced a merger agreement with the AZ Salvator-Saint-Ursula hospitals in Hasselt and Herk-de-Stad. The merged entity was to be called the Christian General Hospital Mid-Limburg (C.A.Z. Midden-Limburg), but the merger ultimately did not proceed.

As of July 2009, the Saint-Francis Hospital has 244 beds available for patients of all kinds.