The French government is releasing 400 million euros for the public hospital, in particular to deal with the pediatric crisis. The nursing staff had again alerted the Élysée and the Minister of Health this Wednesday, November 2 on this crisis which they consider unprecedented and structural.
To answer the ” worrying situation “in hospitals linked to an epidemic of bronchiolitis” worrying “, the Minister of Health, François Braun, announced in particular the doubling of the remuneration of night hours for “ all hospital staff “until March 31, in order to” recognize the commitment of professionals ” and ” the hardship of night work “.
In addition, all caregivers working in critical care services will be able to benefit from the ” critical care premium » put in place during the Covid. Some health professionals were excluded, such as childcare workers. The granting of this bonus to these pediatric service professionals was one of the demands made by the heads of pediatric intensive care units. It also approved the extension of the measures put in place this summer as part of the ” flash mission », such as aids to city medicine and medical regulation.
These ” immediate and strong measures “represent an amount” around 400 million euros “, he said. His cabinet later clarified that this amount would include the 150 million euro envelope promised in October by the government to support ” services under pressure ” of the hospital. The regional intervention funds of the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) will also be mobilized to target specific needs in certain territories.
No commitment on structural measures »
These solutions, which aim to recognize the unfailing investment of our hospital professionals “, will be discussed again in the context of the work carried out by the National Council for Refoundation launched at the beginning of October by the government. The National Pediatrics Conference scheduled for spring 2023 should allow the development of the sector’s roadmap for the years to come, explained the Minister.
►Also read: Pediatric crisis: “We have the impression that we will no longer be able to treat our children”
Mélodie Aubart, neuropediatrician at the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital in Paris, welcomes this gesture from the government. But it requires more concrete commitments. “ We have no commitment regarding structural measures, even though the Minister has announced that he intends to do so », she said into the microphoneAnne Cantener.
She believes that pediatric staff ” do not ask for a figure in millions » but ” State commitments on the acknowledgment of responsibility and structural measures, which we understand cannot be decided and put in place overnight “.” We are now calling for the announcement of broad guidelines “, she adds.
” We are thinking in particular of the recognition of patient-to-nurse ratios: to say that a nurse can take care of so many children in pediatric wards, so many children in intensive carespecifies Mélodie Aubart. These are things that we can already announce, even if the working groups will then define these ratios exactly. We are also thinking of the commitments on the recognition of the specificity of paediatrics in services, but also in training. »
On October 22, more than 7,000 pediatric caregivers had sent a open letter to Emmanuel Macron to alert him to the saturation of hospital services linked to the bronchiolitis epidemic, but also to the lack of means and personnel.