establishments are under strain due to lack of staff

In Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), a maternity hospital remained closed for more than a month, due to lack of staff. Management had cut positions and sick leave was not replaced. In Nevers (Nièvre), another had closed its doors for eight days with 14 midwives on sick leave for professional exhaustion. In Limoges (Haute-Vienne), maternity has been under pressure for a year. “We’re actually running all the time”says a caregiver.

In Seine-Saint-Denis, the largest maternity hospital in 93 level 3 lacks midwives. Here, births and 12-hour shifts follow one another, due to the lack of personnel. “We do between two and four guards a week, not counting the additional guards”, says a midwife. On average, they earn 2,200 euros net per month. In two years, the midwives went from 91 to 63 in this establishment. “We can’t do our job properly”says Chloé Ravalet, midwife.