The strong gesture testifies to their fed up. This Monday noon, a hundred staff from the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny threw their white and blue coats at the feet of an impassive model in a suit and tie – symbolizing the management – on the occasion of an improvised vows ceremony in the gardens of the establishment.
“The management had to organize their own vows this afternoon, but they finally canceled them because they suspected that we were going to cause trouble. So, we decided to do it anyway, but our way! »Breathes Carole Soulay, pharmacy preparer and trade unionist at Sud Santé.
By way of opening, the participants, bringing together nurses, doctors and non-medical personnel, first expressed their wishes, in turn, for the year 2020. In particular the “stop closures” of beds and services ”, a“ salary increase of € 300 ”or even“ the hiring of additional staff ”.
“The situation will get worse”
“We want a hospital that is managed like a hospital and not like a business,” said an employee applauded by her colleagues. The employees then parodied the song “Manu” by Renaud to symbolically challenge the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron: “Hey, don’t mess around with Manu, it’s up to us, the lost staff, and the services that are closing. “
“With the merger between our hospital and that of Jean-Verdier in Bondy, the situation will worsen. The supply of care will be reduced in the territory, storm Maud Gelly, doctor at the hospital’s voluntary termination of pregnancy center and member of the CGT. The management will say that, on the contrary, activity will increase, while the number of beds will decrease. In short: we will do everything to keep patients as short as possible, which is totally absurd. “
Especially in a territory which concentrates difficulties like Seine-Saint-Denis, recognized as a medical desert. “Most of our patients come from Bobigny, La Courneuve, Aubervilliers… However, we know that social and medical difficulties often go hand in hand. You can’t get out of the hospital so quickly when you are poorly housed or living in extreme poverty, ”says Maud Gelly.
A thermometer … for 44 patients
Beyond the lack of human resources, the staff also took advantage of their wishes to denounce the lack of material resources. A book of grievances, grouping together several prescriptions from doctors, was given to management.
“Each department indicated what was lacking: lifts, bed arches, diapers, bathroom scales…”, lists the staff. “At one point, we had a thermometer for 44 patients”, describes Carole Soulay.
