Daniel Guillerm describes situations”ubiquitous” caused by the strike at TotalEnergies and EssoExxonMobil. According to him, “some patients lend their car to the nurse so that she can work”.
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“The right to strike is important, but we do not have the right to endanger patients and lives”, deplores Thursday, October 13 on franceinfo Daniel Guillerm, the president of the National Federation of Nurses. He sees cases of “re-hospitalizations” because the liberal nurses are not able to ensure the “continuity of care” due to strike-related fuel shortages and queues at the pumps at TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil.
franceinfo: Do liberal nurses manage to work?
Daniel Guillerm: The situation is critical in some territories. We have five regions affected: Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Occitanie and PACA. These are situations that cannot last without re-hospitalization of patients. Nurses carry out their work 98% of the time in patients’ homes. In rural areas without public transport, it is particularly complicated. I also have the case in Hauts-de-France with two practices which have started to re-hospitalize patients. And there are other grotesque situations. Some patients lend their car to the nurse so that she can work. Emmanuel Macron tells us that the situation will return to normal in ten days. Us, it’s a matter of time.
How to adapt?
Some of our elderly patients have daily or even multi-daily visits and if we are unable to provide them with continuity of care, they will have to be hospitalized. On the nursing side, we try to rationalize travel, save as much as possible and pool if possible. We will certainly have territories where it will be difficult. The right to strike is important, but we do not have the right to endanger patients and lives.
Yet you are one of the priority professions at the pump…
One has the impression of a management of the chaotic, anarchic and incoherent shortage. Some prefectures have forgotten to put the profession of liberal nurse in their list of priority professions. Some departments only select screen-printed vehicles such as SAMU or Taxi Ambulance, while private nurses very often have lambda vehicles. We are calling for dedicated stations for healthcare professionals on presentation of proof, of course. Today, we sometimes find ourselves in queues that last two hours!