It is a cry of alarm from the medical world: the Covid-19 should not prevent treating other pathologies. As the second wave of the epidemic rises in France, hospitals are trying to deprogram as little as possible their “non-Covid” activities to avoid increasing the already heavy bill of the first wave: loss of opportunity for affected patients cancer, chronic diseases but also benign pathologies complicated by delays in treatment.
« The issue of collateral damage is a matter of concern within the Scientific Council. To October, we have not yet absorbed all of the patients who have not been treated during the confinement period ”, underlines Pierre-Louis Druais, former president of the College of general medicine, member of the scientific council responsible for enlightening the executive.
These risks had however been highlighted in the first weeks of the health crisis. “There are around 1,500 to 1,700 deaths per day in France from all causes, excluding the Covid-19 epidemic. About 1,000 people who die are over 75 and often die of chronic diseases. Without follow-up, the mortality of these people could be increased by 10%, which would represent around 100 additional deaths per day ”, thus indicated at the end of March the professor Druais.
Decreasing use of healthcare
This is not the only reason for concern. “The use of care has decreased very sharply from the start of confinement on the whole of the territory “, notes the health insurance expense and income report dated July. A recent survey of 2,048 people aged 50 and over by Share-France (French part of a research program on health, aging and retirement in Europe) provides some answers on the causes: “Nearly half of the people questioned answer having had at least one treatment canceled or postponed by the health professional or having tried to make an appointment without success since the start of the epidemic., details Florence Jusot, professor of economics at Paris-Dauphine University, who is leading this Share-France survey. Only 10% of them say they have given up at least one treatment for fear of being infected, with strong social disparities. “
The consequences are now palpable. “What we denounced in the first wave has largely been confirmed, a good number of chronically ill people have seen their condition worsen for a number of reasons”, worries Gérard Raymond, president of France Assos Santé, who launched a questionnaire, “ Living Covid ”, to take the pulse of chronically ill patients.
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