The man for the job ? Emergency doctor François Braun was appointed Minister of Health and Prevention on Monday, replacing Brigitte Bourguignon.
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Aged 59, the one who was still a few hours ago the chead of emergencies at the regional hospital center of Metz-Thionville and president of the influential Samu-Urgences de France association is not totally unknown to the Elysée: former “health referent” of Emmanuel Macron during the presidential campaign, he the new minister happens to know his case perfectly well.
The emergency crisis
It was François Braun who was charged in June by Emmanuel Macron with a “flash mission” on “unscheduled care”, in the midst of an emergency crisis. He had thus alerted the Head of State to the catastrophic situation in hospital emergency services, speaking of 120 services in difficulty throughout France. He submitted his report on Thursday June 30 to Elisabeth Borne, who retained “all proposals“, 41 in number, to try to find short-term solutions, to improve the situation as much as possible for the summer of 2022. It already has several measures in stock, including an upgrading of the work of overnight in the hospital. therefore responsible for applying its own remedies.
The “great consultation”
François Braun, despite the urgency, will also have to prepare and lead the “big consultation” on access to care promised by the re-elected head of state. Because, beyond the emergencies, it is indeed the whole hospital which is in difficulty: shortage of staff, degraded working conditions, exhaustion. Faced with the observation made by all the actors of Health indicates that a fundamental reform becomes ever more necessary, not to say obligatory. The idea would therefore be to rethink the relationship between the city and the hospital. For this, François Braun will have to lead the major conference of stakeholders promised by Emmanuel Macron during his campaign. An idea, again, that François Braun knows well: he is one of those who wrote candidate Macron’s health program in the spring.
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The seventh wave of Covid
Masks are back, as are tests and calls for caution: the circulation of Covid-19 intensified at the end of June as well as hospitalizations, especially for the oldest who are still too many not having their second reminder. Thus, in just a few days, the incidence rate has increased by 53%, according to the latest bulletin from the health agency published on Friday July 1. With more than 100,000 infections per day, the seventh wave of Covid-19 is here. Should restrictions be imposed again? It will be up to François Braun to decide. And, again, the doctor, head of the emergency services of the Metz hospital knows: he was one of those who had organized the medical evacuations of patients from one region to another, at the height of the crisis. .
The critics
If the task of François Braun already promises to be high-flying as the emergencies jostle, the doctor will also have to face criticism. And they didn’t take long: not yet in the minister’s chair, his appointment is already booed: “For us, it is a real provocation“, reacted on franceinfo Christophe Prudhomme, emergency physician and spokesperson for the Association of Emergency Physicians of France (AMUF). “How can we trust this gentleman? The proposals made by François Braun are catastrophic. It is a breakdown of public service. He explains that we can close the emergency room at night. Mr. Braun does not represent emergency physicians“, he accused.
“Mr. Braun is not, in our opinion, someone responsible, reasonableadded Christophe Prudhomme. It’s going to be an opponent, you have to be clear”, before to denounce a doctor”who chose the stakes of power and the support of a policy of degradation of the public service“.