Olivier Véran, Minister of Solidarity and Health, was the guest of 8:30 a.m. franceinfo Wednesday March 16. He answered questions from Lorrain Sénéchal and Salhia Brakhlia, in particular about the Covid-19 epidemic, the reception of Ukrainian refugees and the pension reform.
Up to 150,000 cases per day until the end of March
The protocols against the Covid-19 pandemic have been reduced since Monday March 14, which is “the right decision” according to Olivier Véran. However, positive cases are on the rise again. “We knew there would be a risk of a rebound”says the Minister of Health, who assures that it is not specific to France. “It will go up until the end of March, we risk reaching 120,000 to 150,000 contaminations per daypredicts Olivier Véran. Then, we expect a decrease.” However, according to the Minister of Health, “there is no risk of hospital saturation”.
“If we were to find that among the 65-80 year olds, the incidence rate were to rise, that the rebound would not last two weeks but three or four weeks, we would ask ourselves the question again” to open the second booster dose to this category of the population, as suggested by the Scientific Council, he promises. At this stage, this second booster dose is only open to people over 80 and residents of nursing homes.
War in Ukraine: the first sick Ukrainian children welcomed “within 24 or 48 hours”
“We are mobilizing to be able to recover and transfer, in particular from Poland, children with cancer”, announced Olivier Véran, after having brought together the 27 European Ministers of Health on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine. He indicates that France has already “released places in [ses] hospitals”. “Within 24 or 48 hours, the first Ukrainian children from Poland should arrive in France”, he assures. The Minister of Health is categorical: “We will welcome as many as necessary” and “we will free up as many places as necessary”.
Olivier Véran thus salutes “European solidarity” implemented: “We have worked with our counterparts so that we can have coordination and ensure that no sick person, no injured person from Ukraine is without a solution”explains the minister.
Pensions: “Have the courage and honesty” to reform the system
On the eve of the presentation of Emmanuel Macron’s program, Olivier Véran defended the president-candidate’s plan to gradually postpone the retirement age to 65. According to him, “if we want our children and our grandchildren to benefit […] the same level of protection as us”it’s necessary “secure social security”which means “work more”. The Minister for Solidarity and Health considers that it is necessary “have courage and honesty” to say that to the French.
“That does not mean that it will be indiscriminately for everyone”, promises Olivier Véran. He says the government will “some efforts” for long careers or arduous jobs. “In this mandate, there is still a part of the pension reform that has been made, that which consists in raising the minimum to 1,000 euroshe recalled. The president announced that he wanted to be able to increase this effort tomorrow to 1,100 euros. It’s a social gesture that I can only welcome, given where I come from and my function“, welcomed this ex-socialist.
Implementation of the “Mon Psy” system on April 5
The “Mon Psy” scheme, which allows children and adults to benefit from eight free sessions with a psychologist per year “will be fully operational” from “April 5th”announced Olivier Véran. “Medically Oriented”the French will be able to have access to this device. “You will be reimbursed by the common law system, that is to say health insurance and complementary health insurance”, adds the Minister of Health. He thinks it will be about “tens, hundreds of thousands of French people”. It evokes “considerable progress for access to psychological and psychic care” in France, where we had “delay on that”.