the health system very impacted

The largest hospital in New Caledonia, in Nouméa, is surrounded by dams. Some emergency vehicles sometimes manage to get through, but the roads are not safe. Dr. François Jourdel, orthopedic surgeon, notes delays in care. “We treat fractures that are several days old, wounds that have become superinfected”, he explains. Further south, the roadblocks leading to a clinic were cleared on Friday, May 24, by force.

Here, the security situation has infiltrated everywhere, even into treatment schedules. Hospitalized for cancer, a man is still affected by the riots. “It had an impact on my morale, firstly because I had a company, which burned”, confides Nicolas Véran. For almost two weeks, caregivers have gotten into the habit of sleeping on site, on mattresses, notably “to be sure to have a team coming in the morning”.

There have been many more patients since another dialysis center in the city was forced to close. Medical equipment also cannot always reach patients’ homes.