Doctors in this town in Loire-Atlantique demand measures for their safety

See my news
Follow L’Écho de la Presqu’île

Sunday September 29, 2024, a doctor was violently attacked by a patient in Bouaye, south of Nantes, during a medical clinic. An act which strongly shook the medical profession, including professionals from Guérande who alerted elected officials. They are asking for measures to ensure their safety at the Guérande reception and permanent care center.

“The limit has been crossed”

“The limit has been crossed. The profession was shocked by this violent attack. This tragedy must concern us all. If nothing is done for their safety, there will no longer be any private doctors to ensure continued care”, by Doctor Gilles Reignier, requested by the Echo of the Presqu’île.

A doctor in Guérande since 2016, he is the former president of Caps (reception and permanent care center) in Guérande and current vice-president of the Departmental Association of Permanent Care.

No incident in Guérande but…

If in Guérande no notable incidents have been reported since the creation of Caps in 2008, the aggressiveness of certain patients can endanger doctors.

“As soon as Caps was created, we asked for a video intercom because the premises are certainly within the confines of the intercommunal hospital, but far from the hospital services,” indicates Gilles Reignier, who wants to go further.

Measurements, quickly

We ask for regular visits by the police and an alert button, under the desk, directly connected to the police.

Measures that he wants to put in place quickly, supported in this sense by Nicolas Criaud, president of the agglomeration of La Baule / Guérande, Capatlantique.

“Security raises questions”

In a press release, Nicolas Criaud, who is also mayor of Guérande, recalls that Caps de Guérande “welcomes patients from all over the territory, particularly in the evening, faced with the lack of doctors and the difficulty of obtaining medical appointments . The security of places where general practitioners are on call, in the evenings and at weekends, raises questions. Doctors work alone, at late hours, and have no means of security in the event of attack.”

“Urgent to act”

Nicolas Criaud asks public authorities “to address this problem by finding solutions to guarantee doctors can carry out their mission with residents in complete safety”.

He calls on the Ministry of Health, so that “in a context of scarcity of health professionals”, its services go to meet “representatives of general practitioners in our territory. It is urgent to act to protect a profession prey to the ills of our society.”

Right of withdrawal

The subject of caregiver safety in care centers “is not new,” assures Gilles Reignier.

But it is urgent to tackle it. The attack on our colleague is a real alarm signal. Since September 29, in Loire-Atlantique, doctors have asserted their right to withdraw. They will no longer provide these hours.

After the crisis meetings, actions

This is not the case in Guérande but this possibility cannot be ruled out: “no one wants to get to that point, but we can understand the decision of certain colleagues”.

Following the attack on September 29, 2024, the Regional Health Agency initiated several crisis meetings and discussions took place with the director of the prefect’s office.

The Guérande doctor, like his colleagues, is now awaiting action.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.