The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced on Tuesday “an increase of around a thousand beds” in resuscitation and critical care capacities in hospitals, following the proposals of the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas), but without specifying to what deadline. The health crisis has revealed how much the closures of hospital beds, in recent years and even during the pandemic, particularly in intensive care, had weakened the French health system.
A report from Igas “proposes that we extend the number of resuscitation and critical care beds in our country”, declared Olivier Véran to the National Assembly, recalling that he himself had “directed Igas” on this subject.
If the document has not been made public, The world had reported in December of a “maximalist estimate” of “1,000 additional intensive care beds by 2030”.
“A 20% increase in the resuscitation park”
The Minister therefore decided to follow the recommendation of his administration. “We will send the decree to the Council of State by the end of February, which will see an increase of around a thousand resuscitation and critical care beds throughout the territory”, he added without specifying. at what deadline.
This will correspond to “a 20% increase in the resuscitation park”, he underlined, implicitly based on the some 5,100 beds open before Covid-19 – a floor since raised to 5,800 according to the ministry.
Carrying out this increase, “the largest in our entire history”, will require “recruiting, training, promoting, which we have been doing for two years”, he insisted, after praising the salary increases. of the “Ségur de la santé”, supplemented since January by a bonus of 100 euros net for intensive care and critical care nurses – another recommendation from Igas.