The service, which receives 40 patients daily, had already experienced several temporary closures since the spring of 2022. According to management, the service, which opened in 1999, operated with only three out of ten regular doctors, and eight out of eighteen regular nurses.

"Every day, we had to look for temporary workers. The search for personnel occupied a large part of the time of human resources", explains to AFP Olivier Teissèdre, director of the establishment.

"It was time-consuming, it was a source of stress never knowing if we were going to keep the service open, sometimes even for the coming night, and it was problematic for the organization of care on the territory, with the CHRU (from Nancy) which was to compensate for our closures", he underlines.

The closure was decided "in consultation" with the Nancy CHRU and the Regional Health Agency (ARS), according to the hospital, which ensures, in a press release, that "personalized support" is planned "for each employee service".

“This is not good news”, reacts Christian Rabaud, the president of the medical commission of establishment of the CHRU of Nancy, who is preparing to welcome the flow of additional patients.

“In emergencies, we are able to cope, even if that means increasing the number of staff” in the medium term, he continues.

"The service is well maintained, all the positions are occupied".

Nevertheless "it will cause problems immediately", he tempers.

“Of the forty additional patients who will present themselves, some will have to be hospitalized. These are beds which will no longer be available for the scheduled activity, which is already suffering a lot”, a fortiori after the Covid epidemic which caused care difficulties.

He also points to the "double standard" between the public and private sectors in the reception of emergencies.

The private establishment "has it given itself the means to strengthen emergencies to the detriment of the rest? I do not think so", remarks Christian Rabaud.

"But us, that's what we're going to be forced to do. You have to understand that this contributes to the weariness that sets in among some of our staff".

Requested, the ARS Grand Est had not reacted in the middle of the day.

© 2023 AFP