Faced with the crisis, the response of habit. On Friday, four thousand pediatric caregivers sent an open letter to Emmanuel Macron to deplore unsuitable working conditions and care, the results of “irresponsible political inaction”, while their services are overloaded by the bronchiolitis epidemic. . In response, the government said it was “aware of the problem” on Saturday morning, through the voice of the Deputy Minister of Health, Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, and called for “solidarity” between hospitals and city medicine.
“The President of the Republic took note of this arrest and he immediately asked the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health so that an immediate action plan could be put in place”, added this Sunday on Cnews the door. – government spokesman Olivier Véran. “The hospital is facing an epidemic of bronchiolitis (…) it occurs early in the year and therefore we trigger, where necessary, the famous “white plans” to recall additional staff and to have better cooperation in territories,” he explained.
Urgency against loss of meaning
The “white plan” contains organizational measures intended to deal with an exceptional health situation or increased activity of a hospital. The Minister of Health François Braun also announced that he would release 150 million euros for “under tension” services. But “white plans” have already been regularly activated by the government in recent years, and not only during the Covid crisis. In addition, they aim to resolve a crisis situation, such as the bronchiolitis epidemic, where the demands of caregivers relate to their daily lives.
In their open letter, the caregivers denounced a series of dysfunctions, ranging from hospitalization of children in unsuitable places, to distant transfers, postponements of scheduled surgical interventions, or even premature discharge from hospital… degradation which led to “delays in care” and “the endangerment of children”. According to them, the bronchiolitis epidemic is saturating already “bloodless” services, while “an ever-increasing number of paramedical and medical staff positions are vacant”. In their letter, the caregivers also highlighted a “loss of meaning” in their profession, “consequence of bureaucratic governance and activity-based pricing, leading to overall exhaustion and a massive departure of hospital staff”.