“We are on the edge. It wouldn’t take one bad day or three patients arriving at once”grits his teeth Philippe Garitaine, head of the emergency department at the Gassin hospital center. The seasonal nature of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez was felt in the midst of the flu epidemic, with peak attendance during the end-of-year holidays: “We had local patients but also many people traveling or coming to join relatives. Obviously, the virus circulated a lot. Because of these numerous arrivals we had bed problems during this period.” The day after Christmas, the department even had to close its doors at night because a doctor on duty was ill with… the flu.
With the gradual departure of vacationers, the situation has now stabilized but remains tense. “On the other hand, we are not on a white plan like in Fréjus”puts the emergency doctor into perspective.
“More and more people have understood that they can call 15 before traveling, underlines Dr Pierre-Marie Tardieux. This is very valuable because it helps direct them to the right person.”
The Sas Samu (Access to Care Service) of the Alpes-Maritimes is located in the emergency room of the Pasteur 2 hospital.When you call 15, a medical regulation assistant answers. Its role is to note essential information: the identity of the patient, the purpose of their call, etc. Then, he can pass it on to a private regulatory doctor.”
Many of them are ready to respond at any time of the day or night.
-Dr Mickaël Tan is part of the team and details his mission. “We question the person to clearly identify their complaint and above all we look for signs of seriousness. We need to have as much information as possible to then be able to advise. There is a difference between the notion of medical emergency for which we can send the Smur and the urgency felt which does not necessarily require it. Someone can have a temperature of 39 or 40 for 24 hours without it being worrying if they do not present any risk factors. example of taking paracetamol directly or invite them to see a local doctor. If we do not identify signs of seriousness, we can also suggest that the person call us back if their symptoms progress. move to the emergency room if it does not seem necessary. At the same time, this can reassure her and be enough. Do not hesitate to call 15 in case of doubt.
Especially since almost all calls are answered in less than a minute.
It’s better than taking the risk of waiting a long time in the emergency room if a solution can be offered by telephone or by consulting in town.
