A “emergency mission” on emergencies entrusted to an emergency doctor. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Tuesday May 31 the launch of a “flash mission” of a month aimed at bringing “from this summer” solutions to the emergency services crisis at the hospital. He entrusted this work to François Braun, the president of the Samu-Urgences de France (SUdF) union, who recently denounced a situation “catastrophic” linked to a “lack of means” and one “lack of staff”. Here are the outlines of this command “support” to the executive.
A report to “consolidate” emergencies this summer
Recognizing a “real short-term difficulty” concerning unscheduled care, the Head of State intends, thanks to this mission, to be able “provide very strong responses to consolidate our emergencies” during the summer period. Hence this tight deadline of four weeks, between now and June 28, when a report must be submitted for “explain, territory by territory, where the gaps are, to be able to quantify them and to be able to illustrate the first tracks”.
“We need to make this [crise des urgences] objective, because the situation is very different depending on the territory.”
Emmanuel Macronduring a visit to the Pasteur hospital in Cherbourg
The roadmap was specified on Tuesday evening in a mission letter signed by Brigitte Bourguignon, the new Minister of Health. Without confining himself to the emergency services alone, François Braun will have to work on the “wider and deeper crisis” in terms of access to unscheduled care in France, “whether routine or urgent, in the city or in the hospital”. He will also be responsible for“identify malfunctions” and suggest solutions “quickly applicable” for “maintain continuity of access to urgent care in the coming months”.
In his mission letter, François Braun is also “guest” to think in the long term and “to identify more sustainable avenues in order to sustainably solidify access to urgent and unscheduled care throughout the territory”. This component will be used to feed the “collective revolution” of the health system desired by Emmanuel Macron. Starting this summer, an investment plan and “structuring decisions” will be announced, promised the Head of State. Professionals, elected officials and patient associations will then be called upon, in each intermunicipal authority, to “work together” for “build very concrete solutions”, “in a few months”with the promise of additional means.
A macronist doctor responsible for writing it
The mission will be led by Professor François Braun, “who is both a professional and a great expert in Samu and emergency systems in France”, according to Emmanuel Macron. At almost 60 years old, this son of a fire chief doctor (and descendant of a line of military doctors) is the head of emergencies at the regional hospital center of Metz-Thionville (Moselle). During the Covid-19 crisis, this pioneer in emergency medicine was one of the brains behind the transfers by TGV of patients in intensive care to less affected regions, and even on maneuvers during patient evacuation. by plane between Tahiti and France.
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Since 2014, François Braun has also been the president of the Samu-Urgences union in France. This professional organization has contributed, in recent weeks, to alerting on the saturation of emergencies. It was she who revealed, on May 20, that around 120 of these services had been or were going to be forced to close at certain times or to screen patients at the entrance, for lack of caregivers. In the process, she had warned the government of a risk of “health disaster” this summer.
Finally, François Braun is a political ally of Emmanuel Macron. He “Had already helped us build the SAS”, recalled the Head of State about the Care Access Service, a platform initiated in 2019 to relieve emergencies, which is still being deployed. This winter, the Metz emergency doctor became one of the three referents responsible for developing candidate Macron’s health program. This political commitment had caused a stir within the inter-union to which Samu-Urgences de France belongs, according to the specialized site La Lettre de la santé.
A mixed reception among caregivers
The launch of this mission is not unanimous in the profession. “Now is the time to make decisions”indignant Christophe Prudhomme, spokesperson for the Association of Emergency Physicians of France (Amuf), on franceinfo. “Emmanuel Macron is trying to push the deadline beyond the legislative elections with yet another report”accuses this LFI regional adviser in Ile-de-France.
A reproach shared within the union of François Braun: “We have the impression that the president is playing for time. (…) Rather than taking the necessary measures, he says he is waiting for the report of a new mission”deplores the vice-president of Samu-Emergencies of France Jean-François Cibien, in Release.
>> For François Braun, “the objective is that this is not yet another report”
Other emergency workers recall the urgency of the situation. For this summer, “It is already too late”, judge Mathias Wargon, head of emergencies and Smur of the Delafontaine hospital in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), on France Inter. Within a month, when the report is submitted, “Summer will have started and we will end up with monster traffic jams in the emergency room”dreads Patrick Pelloux, president of the Amuf, on BFM TV. “If, unfortunately, we have a heat wave, I don’t know how we’re going to do it.”
The mission entrusted to François Braun is even viewed with apprehension by some paramedics. “A new mission for what? (…) I have more fears than hope”confides the nurse Pierre Schwob Tellier, member of the Collectif inter-urgences, on franceinfo. “If it is a question of proposing restrictions of access to care, with a regulation of access to emergencies by the 15, as recommended [Samu-Urgences de France]we are totally opposed to it”warns another member of the collective, Fabien Paris, in The world.