“Further investigation”. When emergencies no longer respond!

These are avoidable tragedies that destroy families and regularly fuel controversy: patients who died in the emergency room because they were not taken care of in time, others because the SAMU was unable or did not consider it useful. to send an ambulance. While the President of the Republic has undertaken to relieve all emergency services by the end of 2024, while the Minister of Health now encourages all French people to dial 15 before going to the hospital, we investigated these deaths that raise questions.

Deaths that could have been avoided?

Negligence, lack of resources, lack of training, overwork, we have obtained many confidential documents – investigation reports, alert sheets, audio recordings, internal letters – which point out the failures of the system.

“Complément d’Enquête” unveils the exclusive testimony of a doctor who has agreed to tell how certain deaths, which should have been avoided, are not declared as such to families and authorities; that of caregivers who were there the evening a patient was found dead on a stretcher 12 hours after being admitted to the emergency room. A drama which has just led to the indictment of the AP-HP for manslaughter.

Malfunctions at SAMU?

Also investigating medical regulation assistants, an essential link in the emergency chain yet totally unknown to the general public: they are the ones who pick up when you dial 15 to call the SAMU. Sometimes recruited without any training, exhausted, chronically understaffed, they recount errors when handling certain calls, with supporting documents, at the risk of putting patients’ lives in danger. According to a count by SAMU-Urgences de France, 43 “unexpected” deaths were recorded in 22 departments in December 2022 and January 2023, a figure which would reach 150 throughout France according to them.

Are the public authorities aware of all these shortcomings? Are they doing what is necessary to avoid them? “Further investigation” into our emergencies on the verge of implosion.

An investigation by Julie Pichot, Christophe Barreyre, Pedro da Fonseca and Marielle Krouk with StudioFact.

The editorial staff of “Complément d’Enquête” invites you to comment on the program on Facebook or on Twitter with the hashtag #ComplementDenquete.

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