Falling admissions to emergency rooms, falling sales of vaccines and desertion from medical offices… After five weeks of confinement, concern is mounting over the “renouncement of care” from the French, certain health professionals fearing a “time bomb”.
"In recent weeks, the renouncement of care has taken very worrying proportions: in town as in the hospital, the attendance is very low", assures AFP Frédéric Valletoux, president of the French Hospital Federation (FHF). “We have been sounding the alarm for fifteen days but for the moment the trend is not reversing. The problem is that giving up treatment, even temporary, can lead to a whole series of complications, ”he insists.
In the 39 establishments of the Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), emergency admissions have dropped by 45% for adults since mid-March 2020 and by 70% for children compared to the same last year period.
Other explanations for this decline
"This drop can be explained by lifestyle changes (drop in trauma, limitation of our trips), due to the confinement or closure of schools, and by the departure from Ile-de-France of some residents, "said AP-HP on Wednesday. "But it is also probably due to the behavior of the patients themselves, wanting to avoid overloading the emergency services, or to their fear of contracting the Covid-19 in the hospital," added the first French hospital group.
From March 15 to 30, 2020, the number of appendicitis treated by the AP-HP thus decreased by 35% compared to 2019. The number of cardiovascular accidents received from April 7 to 14 decreased by 15%, compared to the same period last year. "This decline is not only observed in hospital services but throughout the entire care sector," said the AP-HP, which is surprised in particular by the low number of consultations among cancer patients .
"Fear of consulting"
According to Health Insurance, the attendance at general practitioners' offices has decreased by 40% since the end of March, even after accounting for teleconsultations. That of specialists has dropped by almost 60%. Another reason for growing concern among health professionals: the decline in the use of vaccination, highlighted by a study published Wednesday by Health Insurance and the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM).
According to this study, the consumption of penta or hexavalent vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, influenza B, hepatitis
decreased by 23% in the last week of March alone, which is equivalent to "approximately 23,000 unvaccinated infants The evolution is even clearer for the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), down by 50%, for tetanus boosters (also -50%), and for the vaccine against human papillomavirus infections (HPV) , down 68%.
"Unfortunately, this is very revealing of the current situation," sighs Gérard Raymond, president of France Assos Santé, a group of patient associations, who fears a "time bomb". “People are afraid to consult. Suddenly, they prefer to wait. ” In a statement signed with five other organizations, including the French Hospital Federation and the Federation of Private Hospitalization (FHP), this group called on Wednesday for mobilization to "not neglect" pathologies other than the coronavirus.
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“These waivers of care can cause serious damage, particularly for chronic or acute pathologies (…). We must reassure and encourage patients who need it to seek care, ”they said. Faced with this situation, Health Insurance decided to send emails to 11 million fragile patients to encourage them to consult. “Confinement should not be synonymous with giving up care. Get treatment, ”said Health Minister Olivier Véran on Sunday.
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