Demonstrators occupied the premises of the departmental delegation of the regional health agency (ARS) in Quimper for several hours on Thursday, September 14, to demand the reopening at night of emergencies in Carhaix (Finistère), Agence France learned -Press (AFP) from the prefecture.
“Around sixty demonstrators invaded the ARS premises, preventing anyone, including the general director of the ARS, from leaving the building”confirmed the prefecture in a press release. “No violence is to be deplored”, she added. The Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, denounced on X (formerly Twitter) a “unacceptable pressure”. “Every day, the ARS fight to maintain healthcare provision throughout France. This is the heart of their commitment. There is never any renunciation or taking the easy way out.”supported the former director general of ARS Ile-de-France.
In the morning, a meeting was organized at the ARS with a delegation of around ten people on maintaining hospital emergencies at night at the Carhaix hospital. “We didn’t have the same agenda. They were there to give us statistics justifying the closure of emergency rooms”declared to AFP Matthieu Guillemot, spokesperson for the vigilance committee mobilized against the closure of emergencies.
Lack of doctors
While around a hundred people demonstrated in front of the ARS at the same time, “the population wanted to show their discontent by going inside”, he added. A small town (7,300 inhabitants) in Central Brittany, Carhaix is located about an hour’s drive from Brest University Hospital.
“In Central Brittany, we have low salaries, we pay our taxes like everyone else, we are not sub-citizens, we have the right to have public services like everyone else”, estimated Mr. Guillemot. The demonstrators came out around 5:30 p.m., after about five hours of occupation. “It was going around in circles, we don’t speak the same language”lamented Mr. Guillemot.
On September 4, around 2,000 people demonstrated in Carhaix against the closure of emergencies between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., decided ” until further notice “ by the ARS due to a lack of doctors, according to critics of this measure. Asked about this by AFP, ARS Bretagne had not reacted late Thursday afternoon.