The doctors of the public hospital are called to strike Monday July 3 and Tuesday July 4 to denounce the lack of attractiveness of their profession and to demand the revaluation of night and weekend guards. Doctors’ unions are calling in particular for the outcome of negotiations announced by Emmanuel Macron, who had promised, at the beginning of January, to“Opening the door to night work pay” and some “permanence” care (i.e. on-call and on-call duty).
Negotiations have taken place with the Ministry of Health, but have stalled since mid-May. According to the office of Minister François Braun, a global plan is well in preparation to restore the attractiveness of the hospital career. But he is waiting for arbitrations “interdepartmental” with Bercy and Matignon. “The personal conviction of the Minister of Health is that the problem of attractiveness in hospital services is intimately linked to night work, for medical and non-medical people”we said from the same source.
Two different intersyndicales are calling for a strike, one on Tuesday, the other on Wednesday. The call for Monday comes from Actions hospital practitioners, which includes in particular the organization SAMU-Emergencies of France (SUdF), of which François Braun was the president before his arrival at the ministry. These organizations had not signed the Ségur de la santé agreements, in July 2020, on the revaluation of salaries in the hospital. Unlike Alliance Hospital and the INPH (Intersyndicate of Hospital Practitioners), who are calling for a strike on Tuesday.
Overall, the demands are close: revaluation of guards, measures intended to make the salary grid more attractive. “The profession of hospital practitioner has become a real foilbelieve Alliance Hospital and the INPH. A large number of colleagues from all disciplines and of all ages are resigning. »
Unions received at the Ministry of Health on Tuesday
The consequences of these strikes should be limited for patients, since most striking doctors do not really stop work. “There may be some consultations or interventions postponed”, says Dr. Rachel Bocher, president of the INPH. SAMU-Emergencies of France plans “a “zero stretcher in the corridors” operation” for emergency services, announced doctor Marc Noizet, president of the union: patients – excluding critical emergencies – will have to wait at the entrance to the service if it exceeds its nominal capacity.
“We want people to realize what emergencies are going to look like” if the departure of doctors from the hospital continues, he adds. Today, 30% of hospital doctor positions are vacant, filled by temporary workers or foreign doctors, according to figures from the Federation of Public Hospitals (FHF). The number of applicants for the hospital practitioner competition fell further in the spring of 2023, with 3,364 applications received for 10,846 advertised vacancies, compared to 4,056 applications a year before, according to official figures.
“We are no longer able to recruit, except for young doctors who have just graduated”says Dr. Noizet. “And the young people who arrive are increasingly working part-time to maintain their quality of life”he added. “If they stay full time, they will actually work 120, 140% [du temps normal]. By putting themselves at 70%, they will do a normal time “. The unions of hospital doctors will be received at the ministry on Tuesday, said the cabinet of François Braun.