Reportage in the streets of Paris where the hospital is mobilizing for its survival

This Thursday, November 14, medical employees went to the streets to defend the general public hospital and ask for extra funding. White coats marched from Port-Royal to Matignon, alongside firefighters and yellow vests. An occasion of unprecedented magnitude, culminating in eight months of mobilization.

“Well being will not be a commodity!” On the Boulevard du Montparnasse, within the 14th arrondissement of Paris, protesters in white blouses chained slogans. On November 14, they rode from throughout France to place stress on the federal government, whereas the hospital employees has been mobilizing for eight months.

Launched just a few months in the past by the collective Inter-Hospitals, created in October as an echo of the collective Inter-Emergency, the decision to protest has discovered a brand new echo within the medical neighborhood. The unions within the hospital public service all responded, as did college students and a few Liberals. In all, fifteen or so organizations are represented at present, says Hugo Huon, of the collective Inter-Emergency. “This occasion is a kickoff. It’s a first militant gesture on the a part of all of the caregivers, it’s the first huge manifestation for the hospital “.

A name for assist

On the crossroads of Port Royal, Bastien Reister brandishes a Savoyard flag. The person got here disguised with a field on his head and a syringe planted within the cranium, and made the highway with a number of different representatives of the Chambery hospital. “We went to Paris at present, as a result of it's been months and months that we’re calling for assist Mrs. Buzyn to save lots of our hospital, and we’re not heard”says the nurse.

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Florence, a CGT delegate, made her strategy to Clermont-Ferrand, the place she works as a caregiver in a resuscitation and intensive care unit. “I've been working within the hospital for fifteen years, and I see my working situations and the care of sufferers deteriorate increasingly more”she explains to justify her coming.

“It's lovely, it makes me sizzling to see so many individuals. There are individuals from Paris east of province who’ve moved “, congratulates Lamia Kerdjana, anesthetist-resuscitator at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris, and president of Young Doctors movement.

Financial savings to dramas

Within the ranks of medical employees, it’s the lack of sources allotted to the hospital and its mode of financing which can be pointed at. “T2A (fee-for-service, editor's notice) is killing us, as a result of it’s the race to the act to be paid. The extra we do the extra we receives a commission. Well being is priceless”, argues Florence, for whom the hospital mustn’t obey a logic of profitability.

Olivier, a psychiatrist nurse at EPS Barthélemy Durand d'Etampes (91), is right here to denounce the finances cuts made in hospitals “On the expense of sufferers”. “We’re being requested for 55 billion euros in employees financial savings, we’ve had four,200 mattress closures in 2018, which is six huge hospitals!”he warns. “In my division, we went from 4 nurses to 2! That is catastrophic for the care of sufferers. Three weeks in the past, there was one who dedicated suicide “he regrets. A tragedy that he attributes to the dearth of availability of the groups.

Medical, firefighters and yellow vests

The Nationwide Well being Expenditure Goal (Ondam) set beneath the Social Safety Financing Invoice (PLFSS), set fire to the powders. Voted final October 29, it gives a 2.1% Ondam whereas hospitals required at the very least double. Consequence: they must tighten their belts once more.

“Saving on financial savings is not attainable!”, pokes Florence. “We’re increasingly more in a rush, hygiene guidelines have been revised down, isolations too … all that to economize …”

Throughout the occasion, all hospital professions are represented. Pediatricians, pulmonologists, normal practitioners, emergency medical doctors, nurses, psychiatrists … A bunch of firefighters additionally got here to help to the white coats. “They’ve been there for us, so we’re right here for them”says certainly one of them, referring to the demonstration on October 15 the place fireplace troopers have been supported by the emergency medical doctors. Jerome Rodriguez, determine of the motion of yellow vests, and even the deputy Jean Lassalle have been seen within the procession.

The top of the general public hospital?

“If we proceed on this slope, it’s the finish of the general public hospital”, Bastien alert. Within the manifesto, the symbols round loss of life are omnipresent: massive mower, cardboard coffin carried at arm's size, lexical discipline of loss of life on indicators …

“The general public hospital is clearly dying. Me, I don’t settle for this as a result of I feel it's a public service mission, and dealing within the non-public sector will not be attainable for me “says Julia Devianne, neurology intern at La Pitié Salpétrière and member of the Inter-Hôpitaux collective.

Behind the banner of the collective, the employees of the Necker Kids's Hospital seals “Sick kids, allow us to deal with them!”. In entrance, a caregiver walks a stroller through which nest a child and an indication “We deal with you, you bleed us”.

“We’re ready for a hospital plan introduced by Agnès Buzyn within the coming days”, says Hugo Huon, the president of the collective Inter-Emergency, which “Hopes that the federal government may have a response tailored to the mobilization”.