Medical desert, lack of access to care, in Blaye, we are trying to sound the alarm. The radiology center is closing permanently and the CGT union is calling for a rally for employees and patients who are worried about this phenomenon which affects a disaster area in terms of medical coverage.
On the phone, this October 17, the greeting message with musical background does not specify the closure of the Blaye radiology center, which “welcomes Monday to Friday“. And then, nothing more, the appeal is rejected. On the internet page, the Imagir firm laconically indicates: “from 10/19/2023, the Blaye radiology practice will be permanently closed“, inviting patients to head to another practice in the group, that of Saint-André de Cubzac, 26 kilometers away, a half-hour drive.
The closure of this private radiology practice does not yet seem to have made its way around the city. Some, like this assistant at the Alliance pharmacy in Blaye, are still stunned: “I learned about it just yesterday on social media!“, she is surprised, highlighting the increase in recent medical desertions.
We had doctors, ophthalmologists, ENT specialists…. Everything closed! And we don’t know why…
Fannie Gourdon, assistant at the Blaye pharmacy
Web writing France 3 Aquitaine
Fannie Gourdon has been doing this job for 20 years. She is from Blayais and has lived here, she says, for 45 years. She lists the latest departures and today this radiology office, formerly “in radiology by M. Dop“that she knew well before he was bought. That’s for sure, some doctors”have retired“and young people don’t want “maybe not settle in the countryside“, she whispers like an inevitability.
Customers and patients of the pharmacy, “are worried“, she assures. They don’t know if they will find a doctor, because at the health center, it’s a bit of the same refrain: ” they were seven“and there would be some, there too, on the departure. And then, many cannot move.”They are on scooters, sometimes in carts…” she concludes, disillusioned.
As for the town hall, no comments will be made. Denis Baldès, mayor of Blaye since 2008, did not wish to react or answer our questions regarding this closure.
In this context, the closure of the radiology office causes the local union of the CGT of Haute Gironde to jump, which denounces the silence around this closure which deprives an entire territory of access to care. “However, the office did not seem to lack activity.” assures the union, “with a permanent activity in Blaye which supplemented the overloaded activity of the hospital and its emergencies.” We are talking about more than 60 patients per day, or nearly 300 per week.
Referring to the offices of Saint-André-de-Cubzac and Lormont, it is not that simple. Because appointments are piling up at Saint André-de-Cubzac as well as at the Lormont hospital center, pushing back deadlines to several weeks. In the middle of the Pink October campaign, it is difficult to find an appointment for a mammogram before April, at the Saint-André de Cubzac office supposed to welcome patients from Blayais. Whereas, when it was open, the Blaye imaging center was already absorbing emergencies referred by the hospital center.
With this closure, patients will have to seek their imaging care further away. And will undoubtedly have to call on medical vehicles when it comes to pregnant women, people with disabilities or the elderly. While cancer prevention campaigns are in full swing, added to pregnancy complications and emergency treatment, it is difficult to consider that these inhabitants of northern Gironde have access to care similar to the rest of the department.
As for the employees, apart from the ten doctors (among the 54 of the Imagir group) who took turns on the site, six people will have to adapt to this surprise closure: three secretaries, a handler, a linen worker and a cleaning lady. . Some of them should organize themselves to reach the center of Saint-André-de-Cubzac.
The CGT union denounces a scenario that the inhabitants of Blayais know all too well. That’s why she calls “the population, elected officials, medical practitioners“, at a gathering, at 3 p.m. this Thursday, October 19, in front of the Center, place des Cônes in Blaye.
“It’s really the shortage of manipulators that got the better of this site.“, explains Dr Thibault Carteret, radiologist and co-manager of the Bordeaux group Imagir. For him, the closure of the practice is the combination of several causes, but the main one being, for several years, the problem of staffing, after the departure of many retired radiologists.
“Blaye’s office was profitable, but we just have a manipulator“, while there were still three, not so long ago. From then on, and because she wanted to move to Saint-André-de-Cubzac and it was also easier to “to bring the radiologists there, it was considered closing the Blaye site.”We’ve been looking for two years. We recruit people but on this part, in Blaye, we have never had a candidate.” The lack of manipulators would be widespread in New Aquitaine, good that “the manipulator school is really saturated”. We would not train enough staff and the group is even planning to set up a private school to train them.
The Regional Health Agency, for its part, recalls that the practice had previously experienced difficulties and had almost closed due to a lack of medical staff. Dr Nguyen, head of the medical center at the Gironde departmental delegation, confirms that, today, it is “the lack of radio technicians and not doctors which pushes them to close.”
There is no numerus clausus, schools, radio manipulations are accessible after Parcoursup. But this profession is experiencing a real crisis.
Dr Mathieu Nguyen, head of the medical center at the ARS of Gironde
web writing France 3 Aquitaine
Imagir was born in 2020 from the merger of two former Bordeaux groups, “Imagerie Thiers” and the “Associate Radiologists Group”. It then merged in 2022 with the Radiologie 4 Pavillons group and more recently with the Valgaronne group. This new group brings together 58 radiologists and 300 employees in 7 clinics and 12 radiology practices in Bordeaux and surrounding areas in Gironde.
According to Dr. Carteret, groupings of radiologists’ practices like Imagir solve these problems. We explain to young colleagues who join forces that they can work two days a week in an outlying location, then two days close to home, with another doctor to run a practice. “We have had this reasoning in other places since we are present in Pauillac, Castelnau, Lesparre, Langon, Marmande and it works very well.”. In Blaye, it worked too, he assures, “we had pooled the presence of doctors.”
“We don’t like closing practices.” but the doctor puts things into perspective, the Blaye site was only open for a few days, a few consultations, while the Saint-André-de-Cubzac office will, according to him, “absorb the activity and increase its pacee”. He should see his consultations increase “by almost 60%“, thanks to this reinforcement of personnel, and mainly in senology. In the future, Imagir would not be against a public-private reflection in terms of radiology in these less endowed territories. Which was also the case, in MRI material at the Blaye hospital center.
At the Regional Health Agency, they say they have only been aware of this closure for a few days. As head of the medical center at the Gironde departmental delegation at the ARS, Dr Mathieu Nguyen is nevertheless the privileged contact. “I was not informed”.
At the ARS, Dr Nguyen says he is particularly attentive to these deserted territories and that he hopes very soon “bring around the table, the management of the Libourne hospital, the Blaye hospital and the Imagir group.”See if there are any possibilities for providing staff. “There are seven people from the public hospital who could, perhaps, spend a few shifts on conventional radiology“.
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