It all begins on Place d'Elmer, in Wandre, in the practice of Dr René Rixhon. A general practitioner from 1956 onwards, he saw the patients of the neighbourhood — and far beyond — for almost fifty years.
His practice belonged to another era and remains unparalleled today: he worked seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, from 1 August to 30 June. A single annual break, in July; the rest of the year, never an interruption.
But he was not only a present doctor. He was a man of heart, who ended up inviting himself into the lives of the families he cared for. He brought into the world many residents of what was already no longer quite a village at the time, and accompanied their parents and grandparents until the end.
It was in this practice, in this waiting room, that his daughter spent part of her childhood — and learned, without seeming to, what a family doctor truly is.
A graduate in 1983, she took over the family practice. For more than thirty years, she practised family medicine in the deepest sense of the term: following generations, remembering first names, accompanying patients over time.
In 2009, she moved the practice to 105 rue du Pont de Wandre, into premises designed for modern medicine — accessible, bright, organised for a better welcome. That is where the centre is located today.
Everyone was welcomed there with the same attention, regardless of their convictions, their background or their situation. She brought to her patients a sincere affection, which was returned to her with the same loyalty. In the years before her passing, she could count on their presence and their support, testifying to the deep bond she had been able to weave.
The centre today bears her name — "Centre Médical Martine Rixhon" — so that this way of practising medicine continues to be carried on, without detour.
Son of Dr Martine Rixhon, Dr Pablo Beckers chose another medical path: clinical biology – microbiology. He is today head of the serology laboratory at CHU Liège, in addition to running his consultations at the Wandre centre.
This dual practice — high-level hospital and local clinical — is rare in Belgium. It allows the practice to offer specialised expertise usually reserved for major hospitals: precise interpretation of biological check-ups, STI screening and follow-up, medical exchanges nourished by university research.
Three generations, one and the same conviction: medicine is practised over time, in trust, and with respect for each patient.
Since 2024, Dr Ghali Sqalli, specialist physician in addiction medicine and clinical toxicology, has joined the centre to provide a specialised consultation.
Addiction medicine is the medical discipline that supports patients in their relationship with alcohol: assessment, prevention, follow-up, and care for problematic consumption. At the centre, it is practised in the same tradition as everything here — without judgment, over time, relying on reliable biological markers (PEth, CDT, gamma-GT) to objectify the support.
The same medicine. The same attention. A new generation of specialists, faithful to the spirit of the place.