On the occasion of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the NGO Médecins du Monde has chosen to close its medical-social service located near the Stade de France. The large police presence in the surrounding area posed too many risks to their patients in an irregular situation. To maintain the provision of care and support, the teams have set up telephone reminder sessions that will last throughout the summer.
Usually, they show up in person on the ground floor of this building in Saint-Denis, north of ParisBut this summer, every Wednesday, it is on the phone that Colette Amato, a social worker, takes care of the most vulnerable patients.
“ This is a woman who was born in 1996 and who comes from Mauritius. There, we realize that the lady is two months pregnant. As she is a precarious pregnant woman, we are not safe from the fact that she had a problem or that she needs special care. ” she explains.
In its Médecins du Monde premises, 99% of the people received are in an irregular situation in the territory.
A risk of control
But just a stone’s throw from the Stade de France, during the Olympic Games, crossing paths with a law enforcement officer in the vicinity means risking a check, a stay in administrative detention or an expulsion. And that, for Guillaume Bellon, coordinator of Caso, the Reception, Care and Orientation Center, is out of the question.
” It happened in the spring. People who got off the train – at the Gare du Nord in particular – were checked. The people had paid for their ticket, so they thought they had been able to escape the checks that undocumented immigrants are familiar with. And this person who was trying to join us was notified of an OQTF (an obligation to leave French territory)testifies Guillaume Bellon. For some people who suffer from toothaches or inflammations, we will explain to them that nothing can be done in our premises and that they have to travel to the center of Paris or go to the other end of the department. And we have had the answer several times: “I would rather continue taking anti-inflammatories than expose myself to the risk of controle.” »
In addition to the patient reminder sessions, the NGO has temporarily opened new offices in the neighboring towns of Pantin and Bobigny, far from the Olympic festival.
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