Rushed declaration? Without consultation? Unveiled Tuesday on the website Nice morning, the announcement of a mega hospital project promised by Christian Estrosi in the Var plain by 2032, and bringing together several existing structures, took everyone by surprise. Trade unions. And above all the main stakeholders. The private establishments who learned with “much astonishment” of their next move.
In a joint press release, released this Thursday morning, the Antoine-Lacassagne Cancer Center and the Lenval Foundation assure that if “the principle of such a grouping has indeed already been mentioned”, it “has not yet given place for preparatory work and reflection around a common program.
On the territory of the poorest district in France?
In the article in the regional daily, the mayor nevertheless assures, without using the conditional, that “this health center will bring together” their activities, in whole or in part, with those of the hospital sites of the Nice l’Archet University Hospital and Cimiez. The site is even identified: “this is the one on which the Nicéa residence is located [le quartier le plus pauvre de France selon la Fondation abbé Pierre, qui se retrouverait ainsi rasé]owned by Côte d’Azur Habitat and managed by the social landlord Adoma”, indicates the councilor, who is planning a set of buildings there for a total of 125,000 m2.
“The specifications will be finalized by the end of the year to be able to launch, from January 2024, the call for tenders for project management assistance,” explains Christian Estrosi. The budget, of 500 to 600 million euros, would also be decided. A straw whose “financing remains”, however, “to date, still very uncertain”, underline for their part the Antoine-Lacassagne center and the Lenval foundation.
“Consultation, coordination and respect for each person’s autonomy”
The two structures recall that they are “private health establishments of collective interest, whose governance is ensured by an independent Board of Directors and general management”. And, as such, “any decision concerning the location of their activities, their future and their scope, as well as the necessary investments fall under these authorities”.
“Reflections prior to such a project must be conducted in the light of these principles and can only be considered within the framework of consultation, coordination, respect for identity and autonomy of each”, they also support, just to frankly put the bars on the “t” and the dots on the “i”.
According to the mayor’s entourage, requested by 20 minutes, the municipality had not planned to communicate so early on the subject and in this way. But the information would have reached the ears of journalists from Nice morning to whom Christian Estrosi ended up detailing the project. With a certain confidence. “The seismicity of Archet is far from exemplary, Cimiez needs new impetus, Lacassagne is cramped,” he explained, assuring that he has “worked” on this project “since 2008,” year of his election at the head of the fifth city of France.
A “diversion” operation?
The LR deputy Éric Ciotti would have a complete explanation for what is, according to him, a “communication” operation. Even a “diversion”, while “the town hall of Nice gives the impression of being a ship without a captain, without a course, which is taking on water from all sides”, scolded this Thursday morning on the set of BFM Nice Côte d’Azur, the parliamentarian who does not hide his ambitions for the next municipal elections.
“We are in an unprepared, unthought-out, unfunded announcement which reflects a little panic,” he said, before denouncing the management by the Nice metropolis, also led by Christian Estrosi, of the reconstruction work. valleys of the Alpes-Maritimes, post-storm Alex. A document, revealed by Mediapart, could lead one to believe that the community itself decided to slow down the pace of these projects to obtain credits from the State.
Another story, in any case far removed from that of a super hospital, which would bring together several structures, currently spread across the city, and which already does not delight the CGT. “It is not possible for the only public health centers to be located at the ends of Nice: to the east [avec le CHU Pasteur] and to the west,” tenses the general secretary of the union, Stéphane Gauberti, in the columns of the regional daily. The city promises to say more about the project later today.