In total, more than 21 000 beds were cut between the end of 2016 and the end of 2021, under Emmanuel Macron’s first five-year term, more than under his predecessor François Hollande, but less than under Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Declining reception capacities. More than 4,300 full hospital beds were closed in 2021 in French health establishments, which at the same time created 2,700 places for partial hospitalization, according to a study by the Ministry of Health, published on Wednesday September 28. As of December 31, the 2,984 public and private hospitals had exactly 382,587 full hospital beds, or 4,316 less in one year.
A provisional figure down slightly compared to 2020 (-4,900) but still higher than the decreases observed before the health crisis. In addition to the Covid epidemic, which again led to the closure of wards and double rooms last year, hospital capacities have also suffered “staff constraints not allowing the beds to be maintained”explains the Statistical Department of Social Ministries (DREES).
In total, more than 21,000 beds were eliminated between the end of 2016 and the end of 2021, corresponding in large part to Emmanuel Macron’s first five-year term. Twice as much as under his predecessor François Hollande (-10,000), but significantly less than during the mandate of Nicolas Sarkozy (-37,000).
This long-term trend “reflects the desire to reorganize the offer in a context of ambulatory shift”, a well-known expression to designate the growing share of care without overnight stays in hospitals, particularly in surgery. The number of “day” hospital places has also continued to rise: 2,743 were opened in 2021, bringing their total to 82,502, i.e. 9,000 more in five years. Home hospitalization also recorded a clear increase in capacity, by 6.8% after a jump of more than 10% in 2020.