On Thursday, September 22, French health workers and those working in related sectors organized mobilizations and protests as part of the National Day of Action in various cities across the country. Protesters demanded higher salaries, more staff, improved and safe working conditions, job security, adequate funding for hospitals and other resources. Mobilization calls were made by several groups in the health department. Association des Médecins Urgentistes de France (AMUF), CGT Sante Action Sociale, CFE CGC Sante Social, psychiatric plantains When Collectif Inter-UrgencesMobilizations took place in cities such as Paris, Marseille, Nancy, Tours, Poitiers, Angers, Lille and Nantes. The French Communist Party (PCF) and La France Ensoumise (LFI) have extended their support and solidarity to the protesting workers.

According to reports, France’s public health sector is facing a severe crisis characterized by severe shortages of resources such as staff, necessary infrastructure and funding. Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit the country, he said, health workers had organized mobilizations to flag these issues. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated the situation.French President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms and measuresSegur de la Santé (health sector consultation process) and ‘Ma Sante 2022′ Or “My Health 2022” has not brought much benefit to the medical sector and workers. Meanwhile, the ongoing cost of living crisis, marked by skyrocketing fuel and food prices, is also impacting healthcare workers.

In July, Damien Maudet and Natalie Ogiol, deputies of the left-wing People’s Union for a New Ecological Society (NUPES) coalition, launched the campaign “#Allosegur, hospital agent. They were part of a commission of inquiry that gathered testimony from health care workers at public hospitals. Workers revealed they were physically and mentally exhausted and were being paid less than needed to keep up with inflation. Important posts remain vacant. Services are curtailed, emergency rooms are closed, and more workers are leaving the public sector for private hospitals.

Lately, there have been reports of deaths due to delays in treatment in public hospitals. Earlier this week, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) made a public statement condemning the poor working conditions at Nantes University Hospital. An 81-year-old man died on September 1 at the New Civil Hospital (NHC) in Strasbourg after spending about 20 hours on a stretcher in the emergency room, according to reports.

Dr Christophe Prudhomme, an emergency physician and LFI regional councilor for Ile-de-France, during the September 22 health worker protest, said: Said “During the health crisis, President Macron has taken another 5,700 hospital beds. I support my family.”

On September 15, Dr Prudhomme claimed nearly 2,000 nursing positions were vacant. Assistance Public Opitoes de Paris (AP-HP), 20-30% of operating rooms were closed.

“What is the Minister doing? He is giving us a media show called ‘Stakeholder Conference’! Staff needs are well known. We demand concrete answers in urgent parliamentary debates to stop the health care system from collapsing,” Dr Prudhomme said.

Mireille Stivala, Executive Director of CGT Health and Social Action, said, “When it comes to recruitment, there is no real will and we need a multidisciplinary recruitment plan. At the very least, we need to pay the student an amount equivalent to the sumik (statutory minimum hourly wage) and present a real contract to the student.”

The CGT estimates that public hospitals will need to employ 100,000 staff, and dependent elderly housing facilities (EHPADs) will need an additional 200,000 staff. Health workers are also calling for increased wages and purchasing power to join the national interprofessional mobilizations called by the CGT.