In France, patients in solidarity with the doctors' strike
A nurse in the emergency room of Chartres hospital, in Le Coudray, on December 1, 2022. AFP - JULIEN DE ROSA
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2 mins
While a triple epidemic of influenza, bronchiolitis and Covid-19 is raging, liberal doctors are called upon to close their practices from Monday December 26 until January 2.
Some patients hear and understand their frustration.
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In addition to better working conditions, the doctors who have been on strike since Monday, December 26 are mainly calling for the
doubling of consultation rates
, for general practitioners as well as for specialists.
Doctors' organizations are also worried about their freedom of establishment, challenged by proposed laws on medical deserts.
On leaving the emergency department of a saturated Parisian hospital, a 20-year-old student said she did not blame the doctors on strike: "
I think it's not the best time, but it's in the moments that's how they get the most attention, unfortunately.
So, for me, we should not blame the doctors, but rather the government which does not accept the requests of the doctors, which is one of the most important professions in France
”.
With
three ongoing outbreaks
, hospitals and emergency departments are more
overwhelmed than ever
.
“
We lack nurses, we lack doctors.
There is no attractiveness for night work
”, deplores Arnaud Chiche, anesthesiologist and founder of the collective “Santé en danger” in Hénin-Beaumont, in Hauts-de-France.
Out to get some fresh air while waiting to be received by an emergency doctor, this forty-year-old says he is in solidarity, even if the strike falls badly: “
It is true that it is very hard at the moment for everyone.
But they have to be heard, so it's normal
, ”he admits.
Demonstration announced for January 5
The main demand of liberal doctors is to double the price of consultations.
A request that some could accept, such as this 30-year-old who says he is ready to pay 50 euros to his GP, instead of the current 25 euros: “
Rather than staying in the emergency room for three hours, four hours – like there, I came for a little thing – and I was on hold for two hours in the emergency room.
»
The "Doctors for tomorrow" collective, which is at the initiative of the liberals' strike, a movement a little
less followed
than that of the beginning of December 2022, is also planning a national demonstration in Paris on January 5, 2023.
“
As long as we do not launch a real major reform, the situation will not change
, adds the anesthesiologist Arnaud Chiche.
We ask too much of the hospital, that is to say to ensure the care of patients in a sustainable way when things are scheduled, and at the same time to deal with the emergency.
“For him, a solution would be to launch a major training plan to instruct new caregivers, and quickly.
► To read also: In France, liberal doctors called to strike despite the triple epidemic
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