Mobilized for the reopening of Night Emergencies in Draguignan

The night emergencies at the Dracénie hospital are preparing to celebrate the sad anniversary of its one-year closure, on 29 October. For twelve months, the lack of staff forced the service to close its doors at 20:30. For several weeks, this closure was postponed to midnight by relying on a liberal doctor.

Far from being discharged, the collective for the defense of emergencies, created as soon as the announcement of this closure which was initially supposed to take place within five weeks, met every Friday evening to protest against ” the subsequent attacks on the public hospital “. On Friday, they organize a big rally in the center of Draguignan to try to revive the fight.” We need a new breath with the population. It takes more new blood than courage », Underlines Frédéric Duthé, head of the collective, during a press conference organized on Monday afternoon in the hospital.

For this the militants of the collective have towed in nine municipalities and have signed more than 10,000 petitions. “ The people we meet support us and ask us not to give up “, Adds Frédéric Duthé who is also trade union representative of the CGT at the Hospital Center. Especially since this closure has an impact on the Brignoles and Fréjus hospitals which are also facing staff tensions. ” Many mayors support us but now we ask them to come and demonstrate with us “, Adds the trade unionist. After a year of struggles, the collective also regrets the lack of listening: ” A year has passed since we asked for a round table with the prefect, the mayor of Draguignan, the hospital management and the Regional Health Agency (ARS). They meet every Tuesday but they can never see us. And for a year they found no solution “, Regrets Frédéric Duthé who launches proposals:” Because they never offered doctors to come to the hospital ? If all the doctors in the area attended, they would only have to do one shift every six to eight weeks. Why don’t we restore a lifelong cure for liberal doctors ? ”

The collective formed by several unions and associations takes note above all of the establishment on its territory of a two-speed health system where we ” apply for the blue card before the green card “To illustrate their point, they took the example of a € 20 million envelope negotiated by management in Paris to relaunch the emergency service.

” This envelope will actually be used to purchase a second MRI that is needed by the hospital but will not solve the staff problem. In addition, this MRI will be used by the private sector. Already today, when you want to make an appointment for an MRI, it takes three times more in the public sector than in the private, even if it is the same machine. Night emergencies fall earlier because it is not profitable and therefore the private sector is not interested “, Explains Frédéric Duthé.

It is to support the public hospital and the ” Another 120 emergency services closed in France, the seventh world economic power “, Which the collective invites to demonstrate on Friday at 6 pm Place René-Cassin.