Gironde: the emergency room of Arcachon hospital under tension

In Arcachon (Gironde), the emergency department is overwhelmed, Saturday April 16. From patients have been waiting for several hours in the corridor. “It’s been three hours just waiting for a blood test“, declares a patient, who came with his daughter. More than 10,000 patients have already been received there since the beginning of the year, an influx record generally similar to that of summer vacation.

“I think that many patients who come have nothing to do here (…). I them invites them to come only if they really think that their life is in danger, and that they have no other solution for their support“, advises Dr Rémy Lapeyre, head of emergencies.

The pressure on the emergency room could increase during the long Easter weekend due to the flu epidemic, but also to the lack of nursing staff. The good reflex is to first call on the general practitioners, or dial 15 for the most serious cases.