“My only fight is to recruit and retain,” promises Aurélien Rousseau

The Minister of Health announced on Wednesday the reopening of “3,000 to 4,000 hospital beds” by the end of the year. “It’s a positive signal,” according to Aurélien Rousseau.

At the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital in Paris, where the country’s best specialists work, a fifth of the beds are closed, revealed The world Tuesday November 28. The cause: as elsewhere, due to lack of staff. “My fight, my only fight if I may say so, is to recruit and retain” staff in all hospitals, promises Aurélien Rousseau, Minister of Health, guest of franceinfo Wednesday November 29, with in particular the reopening of “3 000 to 4 000 beds” by the end of the year.

According to him, “there was a subject of salary”which is today “partly filled” by the announcements of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at the end of last August, in particular the night remuneration of nurses and caregivers increased by 25% and the increase of 20% in their work allowance on Sundays, from January.

In the eyes of Aurélien Rousseau, facing the “terrifying vicious circle” the shortage of personnel which places all the work on the teams present, “we have good news in this landscape which is extremely tense, it is that we have the best recruitment campaigns for paramedical personnel” and even, “for ten years, we have been reopening beds, particularly at Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris”. The minister announces that “at the end of the year, we will reopen 3 000 to 4 000 beds. It’s a positive signal.”.

According to a report from the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees), nearly 21,000 beds have been closed since 2017, due to lack of staff and the reorganization of the hospital. Last September, the AP-HP management announced the reopening of 400 beds by the end of the year.