Chaos in French hospitals due to a doctors' strike amid three epidemics

The strike of liberal doctors in France has generated chaos in hospitals, where three epidemics converge. The Covid, the Flu and bronchiolitis, with overflowing guards.

The SAMU and the firefighters, who work in France as emergency doctors and paramedics, are unable to respond to the calls, as they denounced, under the dangerous emergency.

In the midst of a strike by general practitioners, patients are forced to go to the SAMU, which is already facing a triple epidemic and whose services are overloaded.

As hospitals have to juggle epidemics, understaffing and New Year's holidays, liberal doctors went on strike. Consequence: SAMU is overwhelmed by calls from patients, who traditionally turned to their doctors as their first resource.

On Monday, center 15 of the SAMU des Bouches-du-Rhône received more than 3,400 calls. A demand too high for the media of the center. To the point that some patients were forced to wait more than 45 minutes before being able to speak to a doctor on the phone.

EL SOS Medecin, the private home service, is also overwhelmed and cannot meet the queries. Patients are adrift in France before this measure of force.

In demand of an increase in their consultations that have not risen since 2019, French general practitioners have adopted, for the second time in a month, forceful measures, which will last until January 2.

Before, the doctors placed a bracelet on his arm saying that they were on strike but were working. Now their offices are closed and they do not make home visits either.

“There is an explosion of Flu cases with serious cases as well,” warned Health Minister François Braun as he headed to the Annecy hospital on December 28. “In 20 years of bronchiolitis we had never triggered the white plan. Pediatric emergencies are in crisis, ”he explained on Wednesday morning.

The number of visits to the emergency room for Flu syndrome has increased by 52% in one week. All regions of France are in the epidemic phase.

The number of deaths from influenza is rising strongly, reaching 2.8% of electronically certified deaths, compared to 1.3% the previous week.

The Flu epidemic continues to progress, at particularly high levels for this time of year. Last week, the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for flu-like illnesses increased 52% and 75%, respectively, over the previous week.

In addition, Public Health France notes that the number of hospitalizations due to influenza reached its "highest" value during the entire period 2010-2023 during the previous week.

The Flu epidemic peak has not yet been passed. The incidence rate of the number of consultations for Flu syndrome also increased by 29%, again compared to the previous week.

The epidemic is also progressing "in all age groups", notes the Public Health France bulletin, with very high levels of activity in city medicine and hospitals, particularly between 15 and 64 years of age.

All regions of France have been in the epidemic phase, the highest alert level, for two weeks. However, among children from 5 to 14 years old, the indicators seem to stabilize or even decrease slightly.

At the same time, nearly 160 deaths were recorded last week "with a mention of influenza as a morbid condition directly causing or contributing to death." Such a high number had not been reached for at least five years.

"We are asking the liberal doctors for reinforcements. I also took office because it was necessary to reinforce," explained Dr. Puget, medical director of Samu de Marseille.

The liberal doctors' strike was denounced by the president of the Samu-Urgences de France association. "Launching a strike movement when the Health system is suffering and with a strong epidemic is putting an entire part of the population in trouble, who will not find a response to their request for care," lamented Marc Noizet.

“It was not the right time. As many caregivers as possible should be at the patients' bedside,” she explained.

The Minister of Health also expressed his disapproval of the move.

"The minister strongly condemns the strike call launched by certain liberal doctors during this holiday period at the end of the year," said François Braun's team.

“Minister Braun said that his door is open. And it will continue to be open to fix the problems. But you don't go on strike before you start arguing. There are the institutions to discuss and fix the problems,” he said.

General practitioners want to raise fees from 25 to 50 euros per patient. A figure that would allow them to give fluidity to the consultations and hire a secretary. Consultations are currently made through medical call centers.

Paris, correspondent

BC

The SAMU and the firefighters, who work in France as emergency doctors and paramedics, are unable to respond to the calls, as they denounced, under the dangerous emergency.