“If once again we are forced to do things, we will go on strike”, warns this Tuesday, September 27 on franceinfo Olivia Fraigneau, president of the National Intersyndicale of Interns (ISNI) and intern in emergency medicine in Île-de-France. François Braun assured on franceinfo that there would be no obligation for interns to go to medical deserts, and that it will be a “strong” incentive.
>> Fourth year of internship in medical deserts: “We experience it as an injustice”, reacts a union of general medicine interns
In October, a large mobilization is planned, possibly going as far as a strike, to denounce this measure. “Let’s talk, let’s not impose coercive methods, let’s work together”, insists Olivia Fraigneau. She believes that“we must orient this fourth year” training “depending on what the interns want”so that the profession remains attractive.
franceinfo: What do you think of François Braun’s latest statements?
Olivia Fraigneau, president of the ISNI: I hear him say that these measures will only be implemented in three to four years. I therefore invite the government to stop working in this way, to impose things on interns, and to organize a major consultation of the stakeholders, as it wants to do for the reform of the health system. We must put the internal unions around the table to really build this reform of general medicine in order to fulfill the educational objectives of which he speaks and not to start by imposing a reform.
The minister talks about inducement not obligation. Not convinced?
As the boarding school world is built today, it will be an obligation. Wanting to pass this text in the context of the PLFSS (Social Security financing bill) is to distort the educational objective. It is to make interns those who will have to go and fill a lack of access to care.
François Braun said that the extension to a fourth year in general medicine residency is requested by health professionals. What do you think ?
It’s not true. These are not all general medicine professionals. The wish of general medicine interns is rather to have a fourth year which would be adapted to their needs, their professional projects and not strictly ambulatory, and in a very incentive way in under-dense areas. We must orient this fourth year, this training, according to what the interns want, the doctors of tomorrow want, so that they enjoy their profession, the territories where they practice, that they invest themselves and therefore that they can do the medical follow-up that the population deserves to have.
What should be done ?
We must free up medical time, allow doctors to perform only medicine, work on the delegation of tasks and skills. These are measures that will not take place in four years and that we can start and continue right now. Let’s talk, let’s not impose coercive methods, let’s not work against each other, let’s work together, let’s build together. Only then will things be able to work and the interns will stop resigning and committing suicide. If once again, we are excluded from discussions, once again things are imposed on us, we will go as far as striking, demonstrating and deserting the services.
Are the interns doing badly?
Yes, there has been one suicide every 18 days since 2021. It’s 60% pathological anxiety and burnout, a lot of resignation and people who are considering leaving France to go elsewhere.