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For the Syndicate of Obstetrician Gynecologists of France (SYNGOF), the situation of maternities is critical, so much so that it publishes a press release on May 31 to sound the alarm. For its president, Dr Bertrand de Rochambeau, due to the lack of doctors, midwives and other health professionals, maternities have reached “a critical level which endangers women”. According to him, “the accident is imminent”.
Words are harsh and can scare. They are however a reflection of the current situation, according to Dr Bertrand de Rochambeau, president of SYNGOF.
The union deplores the shortage of caregivers in maternity wards, which has reached a “critical level” with the possibility for some pregnant women not to give birth in the maternity ward which usually follows them, because there is now a risk of “unexpected summer closures”. .
Administrative governance
Dr Bertrand de Rochambeau pleads for us to listen to caregivers more. “Today, decisions are taken by the hospital administrations and by the State through the Regional Health Agencies (ARS). The hospital crisis is not new, emergencies were on strike in 2019 already, long before the Covid. We had already warned a few years ago that in these conditions the caregivers would end up leaving, well here we are: the caregivers are leaving now”.
According to the union, there is currently a lack of health professionals from different specialties: midwives, gynecologists-obstetricians but also anesthetists-resuscitators and even pediatricians.
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Holes in the schedules
Perinatality is therefore in “great suffering” adds the president of Syngof, who explains that with the lack of staff, schedules are difficult to keep. “Before the departure of caregivers, schedules were difficult to keep but we were getting there. Now, with 20 to 30% fewer employees, there are holes in the schedules and the bleeding is not ready to dry up, because the signals sent by the public authorities are not encouraging”.
The solution ? Better recognition of caregivers
For the doctor, the solution lies in better recognition of caregivers. This will prevent “unexpected summer closures of maternity wards“, Where “worse, permanent closures after serious accidents“.
For Dr. De Rochambeau, no region of France is spared, not even in Île-de-France. And when asked if he is optimistic for the future, his answer is clear: “In the short term no, in the long term yes but I’m afraid that a serious accident will have to happen for our politicians to realize the seriousness of the situation”.