Lille (AFP)

A 70-year-old patient spent six days in an emergency unit at the hospital of Saint-Quentin (Aisne), "a record" denounces Friday the collective Inter-Emergency, the direction affirming for its part that it is was a "medical" decision and not an organization.

In a statement, the collective Inter-Emergency, at the origin of a strike movement unpublished, said that "the record of Saint-Etienne was beaten yesterday (Thursday), with a patient of 70 years stagnant emergency during Six days and 12 hours, a record in a context where management turns a deaf ear to the demands of the staff. "

"Back to school is coming soon and we are still calling together caregivers (...) to mobilize to reshape a health system that has come to an end," he added.

According to the recommendations of the Société francophone de médecine d'urgence, the short-stay hospitalization unit (UHCD), in which the patient has remained, is an "integral part of the emergency services", "for which it is recommended that the average length of stay is less than 24 hours ".

"It's a medical question, no organization, there were vacant beds on all floors of the hospital," defended Friday with AFP the director of the establishment François Gauthiez. "We did not skimp on the means, we did not abandon the patient", he added, pointing out that he stayed in a single room, without bathroom however, on a bed and not a stretcher".

According to management, this patient, who reportedly poisoned himself at home, was seen by a doctor 35 minutes after arriving at the emergency room on August 8th. He then remained "to refine his diagnosis with several specialist opinions" and "there was no request for urgency to admit him to another department".

"The hospital's social welfare services met with the family to guarantee a return home on August 15 in good conditions," added the management on its website.

Five months after the start of the movement, the emergency strike has never been so extensive.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health announced it had identified 195 emergency services on strike, a number close to 220 claimed by the Inter-Emergency group at the origin of this social movement, for which "Agnès Buzyn will announce from the new measures ".

© 2019 AFP