Against burn-out and longer days, the strike. This Friday, April 28, thousands of interns go on strike. For several months, the movement has been calling for better working conditions and greater recognition of their efforts, despite the measures put in place after the Ségur de la Santé in 2020.
The priority? The establishment of a strict and systematic count of the working time of medical students, according to them. A measure supposed to avoid overruns when they “blithely exceed the legal maximum” of 48 hours per week, according to the National Intersyndicale des interns, which spoke in a press release on Thursday.
Interns exceed 8 half-days per week
In theory, interns should not do more than 8 half-day internships per week. According an Opinion Way survey carried out in 2021 for the Ministry of Health, at least 76% of the 3rd cycle interns questioned claimed to have exceeded this limit. A rate that reaches 96% in “resuscitation” specialties and 98% in “surgical” specialties. 16% of interns affected by this extended presence in the hospital say they spend at least 4 extra days in the establishment. According to 33% of them, getting a catch-up is not possible.
Still on paper, the week should not exceed 48 hours. 70% of interns surveyed by Opinion Way explain that they exceed this limit. 52% then evoke weeks of more than 51 hours If the overrun is proven, the law nevertheless provides that the head of department can be removed from office. And since February 2023, the ARS can impose financial penalties on recalcitrant hospitals. A measure in the pipeline since the Ségur de la Santé in 2021, but the first effects of which will only be felt in several months; the procedures can last up to a year.
Benefit increases? Not sufficient
To measure the impact of these working conditions on their mental health, the ISNI union conducted a quiz, to just over 20,000 young doctors, still in 2021. While these figures do not allow extrapolation to all caregivers, they do give an overview of the malaise felt by some of them. 66% of respondents reported anxiety disorders. Almost three times the prevalence seen in the population at the time. 24% of respondents said they felt depressed, about 2.4 times more than the average.
According to the latest figures from the union, interns commit suicide three times more than the rest of the population. Questioned on this subject by the centrist senator Yves Détraigne, the Ministry of Health explained that the government has “amplified its mobilization” in recent years. And ensures in parallel to carry out a policy of “zero tolerance” and “total commitment” in the face of the mistreatment and harassment of health students.
Regarding the financial recognition of interns, the ministry then cited the Ségur de la Santé, which notably gave rise to a 10% increase in first-year internship allowances, as well as an additional 25% on on-call and on-call duty. Not enough, according to the strikers this Friday. They ask for an additional 15%. As of July 1, 2022, 3rd year interns were paid €27,988 per yearor about 2,330 euros gross per month.