Published
Article written by
In an open letter addressed to the President of the Republic, more than 4,000 pediatricians have denounced a lack of resources to take care of patients, in the midst of an epidemic of bronchiolitis.
Anna, 18 days old, was admitted to the pediatric emergency room of the Lille University Hospital (Nord). She suffers from bronchiolitis. But Anna will have to be transferred to another hospital, for lack of space. While the peak of the bronchiolitis epidemic has not been reached, the service is already saturated. With a lack of staff, beds and a deterioration in reception conditions, the situation goes beyond bronchiolitis. This is what more than 4,000 pediatricians denounce in an open letter addressed to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.
“Current and past leaders have turned a blind eye to the abandonment of the public hospital and pediatric wards. They are now responsible for the consequences on the health of children”, they warn in the letter. In Poissy (Yvelines), the reception of pediatric emergencies is filtered, because there are not enough doctors. Only patients treated by the Samu are admitted. In the media, the Minister of Health, François Braun, asks parents not to overload the emergencies and to call 15 before moving.