Speech therapists are once again sounding the alarm. Frozen wages, galloping inflation, their purchasing power is falling, threatening the attractiveness of the profession and therefore access to care for patients.
They consider themselves to be the lowest paid profession in the body of liberal medicine. Their salaries have not changed for years, the basis for calculating their fees, called “key letter”, being frozen.
And this has repercussions on the attractiveness of the profession and therefore on access to care for patients. “For a few years now, we have been warning about the problem of access to speech therapy“, explains Lydie Marin, president of the union of speech therapists in Reunion.
These language professionals are an essential link in the care of those who encounter communication or learning difficulties. Lydie Marin, president of the union of speech therapists in Reunion
A marmay who cannot speak, who does not understand well, we will be able to help him. A baby who has sucking problems and oral problems, so who cannot feed properly, we will be able to help him.
Lydie Marin, president of the union of speech therapists in Reunion
Wages frozen since 2012
Speech therapists in salaried and liberal positions experience difficulties, whether locally or nationally, she specifies. The “key letter” has not been increased since 2012, in fact the acts and therefore the fees either.
Nevertheless, “life increases, charges increase“, deplores the professional. Professionals believe that they are not recognized at their fair value. Five years of study are necessary to obtain a speech therapist diploma.
The president of the union of speech therapists in Reunion stresses that this is a “context of global difficulties in terms of public health“. Difficulties that are not taken into account, according to professionals, who have the feeling of not being listened to.
Every 5 years, we review with the director of the CNAM our agreement with Social Security. Each time, we ask for an increase in our “key letter”, and each time we are refused.
Lydie Marin, president of the union of speech therapists in Reunion
