Will caregivers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 be able to return to their posts? After a very eventful first reading in the National Assembly, the bill relating to the monitoring and health security system against Covid-19 must be examined this Wednesday, July 20 by the Senate.
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According to figures from the Ministry of Health, there are just under 12,000 suspended health personnel in France, all professions combined (which therefore includes administrative and technical personnel), or 0.53% of the workforce. But, while the hospital lacks arms, last week, in the National Assembly, certain deputies asked for the reinstatement of the nursing staff suspended last fall because they were not vaccinated against Covid.
A decision awaited by Kevin: he worked in the intensive care unit of Montauban hospital, but he refused to receive a vaccine injection. “My colleagues did not quite understand why I made that choice. But too bad, even if it means losing my job, I preferred to say no“, he tells franceinfo. Suspended by his management on September 14, he had to organize himself by doing a few jobs, unrelated to the medical sector, and with difficulty.
Unvaccinated caregivers suspended: the testimony of Manuela and Kevin at the microphone of Kader Youb
to listen
“It was very long, I sold my carhe adds. The RSA (active solidarity income) was very complicated to obtain. HASAt first they didn’t want to pay me. So, every Wednesday, I eat thanks to the Restos du Cœur“, says Kevin.
“I took it as an injustice“, abounds Manuela, nurse with the elderly, also at the Montauban hospital.I had a very bad experience of not being paid, also of losing vacation time. When you are on sick leave, you do not lose your leave entitlements. On the other hand in suspension, you lose them.“
Suspended caregiver status is pariah status.
Manuela, non-vaccinated nurseat franceinfo
If tomorrow the government decides to reinstate the non-vaccinated nursing staff, Kevin wants to return to his post. “I am apprehensive about how things will go with my colleagues. How will they see me? he wonders. But I need to work, I need to get a paycheck at the end of the month, it’s to eat, it’s to straighten things out.“
Manuela also wants to be able to return to work very quickly. But these two caregivers still fully assume their choice of non-vaccination against Covid last fall.