Home » Health » Opinion. Christophe Saint-Pierre responds to the “Manifesto” on regional health issues

Opinion. Christophe Saint-Pierre responds to the “Manifesto” on regional health issues

Like the other candidates in the 3rd district of Aveyron, Christophe Saint-Pierre, candidate for the legislative elections, was invited to a public debate meeting organized in Millau by the association Le Manifeste on May 19 to answer health questions. and offer of care on the territory. Despite his absence, he wanted to answer the questions asked by the association.

“On May 16, I was solicited by email and invited to a meeting-debate organized in Millau by the association Le Manifeste on May 19. Having already made long-standing commitments for this day, I unfortunately could not accept the invitation to this public meeting with regret.

Nevertheless, I made a point of sending to the association my answers to the questions posed so that they can be communicated to the assembly”.

Answers to questions from the association LE MANIFESTE received on MAY 16, 2022

As a preamble, I would like you to excuse my absence from your meeting and allow me to explain myself.

I started my campaign for the legislative elections on March 25. I am convinced that an MP, to be effective in his mission, must be in contact with the citizens of his constituency, as close as possible to them, to their problems and their projects. This is the reason why, since April 25, I have been crisscrossing our entire constituency to meet everyone, in each of the 119 municipalities of our territory of South Aveyron.

This requires prior planning and organization which did not allow me to make myself available for your meeting on the 19th, having made long-standing commitments in Saint-Rome-de-Cernon and Saint-Rome-de-Tarn in same hours.

On the other hand, what I can confide to you is that there is not a meeting in a village or a town in our constituency, in which the subjects of health and the supply of care are not addressed. Either because I wear them, but also most often because elected officials and citizens ask me. These subjects are essential for South Aveyron, I am well aware of this and I fully intend to take my share of responsibilities with the other elected officials, in order to be able to provide the appropriate responses to the problems encountered and the concerns expressed.

Here are my answers to your questions:

1/How to maintain and upgrade current services, what means to implement now?

A fundamental and collective work is to be carried out. I don’t think that by playing the card of distrust or competition between establishments and territories, we will come out on top. Our recent history has shown us the opposite. So we all have to move forward hand in hand.

There are complementarities to be found, synergies to be created to allow the means allocated to be more efficient and directed towards caregivers and patients.

It seems to me that 2 factors seriously penalize the operation today: – the shortage of trained and qualified nursing staff prevents the opening and/or reopening of certain services (as is the case for example of the SSR). These are fewer acts, fewer stays, and therefore fewer resources, and untreated patients who, in the worst case, decide to go elsewhere for surgery when they live here.

– the use of temporary staff to compensate for absences (holidays, sick leave, vacancies, etc.) represents a considerable additional financial cost which strains operating budgets and therefore prevents the allocation of existing resources to other uses (new services, etc.).

The question of human resources, employment, the reception of skills, the attractiveness of our region to convince staff to come and work with us is a key point of the problem here. Without being the only one.

We therefore have work to do, together with the Department, the Communities of Communes, the hospital management, to organize, strengthen and develop our capacities to welcome more caregivers. I think the means are there, it’s more their use that we need to review.

2/ What will you vote on the Social Security Financing Act?

Very difficult question. I will be able to answer you when we have seen and studied the bill, which is not the case yet. One thing is certain, and that is that I will be particularly attentive to ensuring that the promises made by the President are kept and that hospitals in rural areas are not considered to be left behind by France. Our inhabitants also deserve to be treated with dignity close to their homes, and deserve competent caregivers close to their homes.

3/ Will concentrating on a single establishment solve the other current difficulties? Are the lengthening of routes and delays for access to local care or specialists part of the changes in our world for the next 20-30 years?

The future South Aveyron Common Hospital Center will not solve all the problems and will not be the solution to all our ills.

Rather, it is the overall healthcare provision in our constituency that needs to be looked at. This is a challenge for the future and it must be a constant concern of elected officials. Of all the elect. We must all together be vigilant to the effective implementation of the future establishment, and support a territorial health project that promotes medical demography, allows a network of the territory and brings innovative organizational methods.

We will have to be vigilant about the future of the 2 sites, the services that will be assigned to them and the resources that will be allocated to them.

When I was Mayor of Millau, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hospital and member of the steering committee of the Median Hospital project (now a joint hospital), my position was always clear: yes to working together, yes to a global health offer for the whole territory, not to closures. I insisted, including during meetings with the Director of the ARS and at the Ministry of Health, that the future technical platform be of high quality and high added value, requiring investments to meet expectations. from the south of Aveyron. I will be vigilant in keeping the commitments made.

But we will also have to ensure that the daily care offer can continue. We must strengthen this territorial network of our care offer. South Aveyron must not become a medical desert. We absolutely must attract new general practitioners, new dentists, radiologists, ophthalmologists, etc. spread over our entire area of ​​life, but in consultation and with arguments to welcome and convince them, because lifestyles have changed and the expectations of today’s young graduates are no longer those of those of 20 or 30 years ago.

We all have our share of work and therefore of responsibilities so that our rural areas are attractive to the medical professions.

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