There are times when the remedy appears worse than the disease. In the hospital, the supervision of the “medical interim” is one of them. How to stop this phenomenon of temporary doctors paid by hospitals at rates much higher than the practitioners in post, to fill the increasingly gaping holes in certain services, without putting the establishments in difficulty? The government, which had planned to put an end to the abuses of this system at the end of October, finally backtracked.
In July 2020, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, had promised to attack directly those he calls the “Mercenaries” of the hospital, by strictly capping their salaries. The measure, supported by the hospital community, was enshrined in the law aimed at improving the health system promulgated in April, for application scheduled for October 27.
There is no longer any question of exceeding, for these doctors recruited via temporary agencies or “over the counter” by the establishments, the ceiling of 1,170 euros gross for the twenty-four hours of on-call – i.e. around 950 euros net – under penalty of see the public accountant reject the payment, and the regional health agency seize the administrative court in the event of higher remuneration observed. A ” nuclear weapon “, according to the expression of a hospital director, to enforce a rule already instituted by a decree of 2017, but so far not respected in the establishments.
The Minister of Health, who already denounced, in a report in 2013, as a socialist deputy, these temporary workers and their additional cost for the hospital – or 6,000 doctors, for an envelope estimated at 500 million euros – thus promised to spend at top speed.
But a few days before this deadline, the scenario of government retreat is confirmed. As of October 12, questioned by several deputies extremely worried about the future of their hospitals, Prime Minister Jean Castex had started the reverse, by giving fifteen days to Olivier Véran to “Adapt the reform in a very pragmatic way”.
Health context
Thursday, October 21, it is now acted: “The strict application of the reform” will take place “As soon as possible in 2022”, announces the Ministry of Health, by press release. It is “Take into account the current context with in particular a health and hospital situation marked by months of mobilization to fight against the Covid”. A mapping work of the medical interim on the territory will begin on October 27, specifies Olivier Véran, who will receive all the actors at the beginning of the week.
You have 75.93% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.