“A lifting of the obligation does not mean the end of the epidemic”, warns the president of the Hospital Federation of France

“A lifting of the vaccination obligation [des soignants] does not mean the end of the epidemic, quite the contrary”, warns Friday March 31 Arnaud Robinet, president of the Hospital Federation of France and mayor of Reims, the day after the favorable opinion of the High Authority for Health. The scientific authority recommended Thursday to lift the obligation for health professionals to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the Minister of Health François Braun promised to follow this advice.

For now, the minister must first “bring together professionals and in particular the French Hospital Federation to see how this reintegration will be done”. The president of the FHF explains that this reintegration of unvaccinated caregivers “will be done by the signing of a ministerial decree”. It concerns, according to Arnaud Robinet, “Barely 4,000 people, including 500 or 600 nurses”. The president of the Federation therefore judges “negligible” this number “in relation to human resources” of the hospital. He recognizes that the public hospital is facing difficulties in terms of “human resources and attractiveness of the profession [de soignant]”but Arnaud Robinet is categorical: “600 nurses are not going to change the situation”.

“The agents will return to their posts”

If the government lifts the vaccination obligation, Arnaud Robinet assures him, “civil servants will return to their jobs”. But the president of the French Hospital Federation wonders how all this will be done, particularly in terms of team cohesion. “How will the colleagues of these agents react, who have been vaccinated like 99% of hospital agents. Are there double standards?”asks Arnaud Robinet.

The French Hospital Federation “takes note of the opinion of the High Authority for Health”but it calls for caution. “This advice should not be taken as suggesting that this vaccine is not effective”, launches its president. Arnaud Robinet therefore asks “it is up to the government to have extremely attentive communication to highlight the benefits of the vaccine”. He recalls that this “remains effective and necessary, especially for frail, elderly, immunocompromised people and health professionals to protect themselves and protect patients“. Arnaud Robinet calls for vigilance and “to put back this vaccination obligation” in the event of new variants of the coronavirus.