The emergency services of the Albi hospital and clinics are the source of many complaints from patients. They denounce interminable delays in care, hasty diagnoses, and sometimes, a lack of consideration on the part of the medical staff.
Recently, many Tarnais have cried out in anger on social networks, denouncing the poor functioning of the emergency services of Albi hospitals. Dozens of testimonies and almost a thousand reactions targeting all the hospitals.
Having come to accompany her elderly mother after a hospitalization at the Claude-Bernard clinic, an anonymous user fumes: “After post-operative complications, a loss of consciousness and a high fever, we went to the emergency room at the Albi hospital. They sent us back to Claude-Bernard, where there is no longer a night emergency room. On site, the doctor refused to take her. The final instruction… give her Dafalgan and watch over her.”
For years, the lack of doctors in Tarn Nord and the decline in accessibility to emergency services have seriously affected the region’s inhabitants.
Julia, who suffered a triple ligament tear, was turned away by an emergency doctor at Albi hospital. He reportedly considered that she was cluttering up the waiting room. “There were only four of us and my toes were all black,” she says.
What causes?
The area is hit by a glaring shortage of doctors. In addition, the emergency services or walk-in consultations of the city’s clinics are now closed on weekends and at night. The Albi hospital is therefore becoming the preferred solution for many patients to consult a doctor in case of need.
A difficult situation for the medical staff of the hospital center, which has seen the number of people using the service increase drastically in 2024. Alexandre Fritsch, director of the Albi hospital, explains: “The (emergency) service of our hospital was designed to be able to support a passage of 36,000 people, currently, we are around 40,000. This forces us to carry out screening.”
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As a result, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) has decided to implement temporary regulation of the emergency services at Albi hospital. For three months, patients sent directly by a doctor or in possession of a medical letter are prioritized. Those who present themselves spontaneously must call 15 and be put in touch with a Samu regulating doctor.
“It’s not ideal for us and it’s harsh for patients,” continues Alexandre Fritsch. “We have to differentiate between a perceived emergency and a real medical emergency. For the moment, “priority” patients are quite satisfied with this system which allows them to be treated quickly.”
Alternative measures
In addition to this exceptional regulation, other initiatives have been put in place in the city. Such as a medicalized first aid service, offered by the Toulouse Lautrec clinic, allowing you to consult a doctor without an appointment or the unscheduled medical consultation center, run by eleven retired doctors in the city center.
These initiatives help relieve the emergency services and moderately compensate for the lack of doctors in the north of the department.