Tribune written by Philippe Leduc, doctor and health journalist, initially published on the Les Echos-Le Parisien website.
The President of the Republic should soon speak. It is important for a President who decides to speak on the subject of health. It sets the course, it defines the objectives and it describes the method. Will he announce, again, the acceleration of the reform of the health system “My Health 2022” unveiled by himself on September 18, 2018 at the Elysée but whose results, in 2023, are awaited? Or will he change course?
In fact, it may seem simple. It would suffice to apply the most corporatist measures proposed here and there by health professionals and actors to transform the health system “out of breath”.
“Who can do more, can do less! The hour is serious, it is not any more with procrastination. It takes a shock of trust with caregivers.
A shock of trust with caregivers
Increase the number of beds in hospitals? While we are not short of beds but of caregivers around these beds. At the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 16% of beds are closed due to lack of staff. In some cancer centers: 20%.
Double the basic price of the consultation, from 25€ to 50€, of city doctors? While in Quebec such an increase has worsened access to care. Some exhausted practitioners took the opportunity to reduce their activity.
Broadly authorize nurses to prescribe drugs and complementary examinations independently of any collaboration with doctors? Whereas precisely it is not necessary to increase the work in silos of the carers but to facilitate the coordination and the cooperation between them.
Completely regionalize the health system by entrusting it to the Regions? While the local authorities are not ready for it. It would add clutter to inefficiency.
Demonstrate originality and determination
So what can the President of the Republic announce? He will have to show originality and determination while creating a break to get out, at all levels, of the habits that maintain this deleterious situation. It is mobilize (really) all caregivers towards the same well-defined direction.
The key words are: working conditions and attractiveness of professions, public health missions, administrative revolution, territory, cooperation, relevance, financing, prevention, training.