The Auch hospital center closed its geriatric SSR (follow-up and rehabilitation) service on Monday 25 April for a month and a half following the absence of one of its doctors. The 24 patients in this ward, aged between 80 and 90, were sent elsewhere.
After the closure of various emergency services in recent months (in Foix, Pamiers, Lavaur or even Moissac), other public hospital services are now affected by staff shortages. The latest: the Auch hospital.
Last week, the management of the Auch hospital center announced that it had to close its aftercare and geriatric rehabilitation (SSR) service for a period of one and a half months.
A decision that would be due to the absence of a doctor and which has not been slow to react to the unions of caregivers on social media.
In a press release, these caregivers expressed their anger and concern for their future at this hospital facility.
The nursing staff was notified the day before for the next day. Tonight he doesn’t know where he will be on Monday. Is this practice, which systematises the lack of anticipation and which is found in other hospital structures, due to managerial incompetence or a deliberate intention to promote discredit towards the public hospital and possibly limit its activity?
press release of the CGT of the Auch hospital
In the meantime, solutions had to be found for the 24 patients assigned to this geriatric ward. Aged between 80 and 90, they were sent to other health facilities.
The staff, the 4 nurses, were due to be assigned to other services from this Monday 25th April.
“The staff does not understand this decision which would be due to the imminent absence of a doctor on leave! While other doctors could have taken over. The team already ensures in ordinary times the functioning of this service in particularly difficult conditions. Difficulty: insufficient number of doctors, out of 8 nursing posts only 4 are filled, i.e. 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon for 24 patients (an extra post was obtained in the morning and 1 in the afternoon, but this promise was not kept)”, specifies the press release of the CGT of the Auch hospital.
A decision resented by these health professionals, who they consider to be “violent”, even for their patients. Indeed, this SSR service aims to prepare these elderly patients for returning home, and these caregivers are concerned about their care.
And other departments of the Auch hospital are under tension due to lack of staff.
The hospital collapses, the nursing staff too. This type of process, disrespectful of patients and caregivers, tends to put tension throughout the hospital, fewer beds, shorter stays and overcrowding of services: this creates monumental riots. Nothing was done for two years. By doing so, management forces staff to react angrily when solutions exist, but not all have been studied.
Press release CGT hospital de Auch
The situation at the Auch hospital is far from isolated. Lavaur hospital, Toulouse university hospital and Foix hospital are also affected by staffing difficulties.
Beyond our Region, the public hospital is experiencing unprecedented tension from the health emergency throughout the territory. Hospitals must therefore regularly close emergency services or bed places.
On Friday April 22, Dr Marion Malphettes listed the long list of closed services in the country lduring a demonstration against the threat of closure of the immunology department of the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris.
A very long list which unfortunately is not exhaustive.
