“we have crossed a point of no return”

Doctor Sidi-Mohamed Oulmekki, 64, was beaten in his office Monday evening in Drancy in Seine-Saint-Denis. He received a violent headbutt to the face which broke his nose. Very shocked by this attack, he decided to close his medical practice until further notice.

On the office door, Doctor Oulmekki's patients discovered the photo of their doctor with a swollen face, accompanied by this message: “Assault on Dr. Oulmekki by a patient on November 25, 2024, afternoon consultation closed until further notice.”

Doctor Mohamed Oulmekki, 64, has been practicing in Drancy for years. This attack is a real trauma for this practitioner who is well established in the neighborhood. He has decided to close his medical practice until further notice.

“Honestly, I think we have crossed a point of no return,” explains Doctor Sidi-Mohamed Oulmekki, general practitioner in Drancy in Seine-Saint-Denis. “This is what I explain to patients, the poor, they have nothing to do with it, because in fact, it is a minority who are ruining life.”

“We are here in an office that receives without an appointment, we are almost the only one in 93, who takes new patients, who takes all emergencies. We exceed our posted hours almost every day, in fact, I am not never left before 7:30 p.m. “What more can we do to have a minimum of respect?” the doctor asks.

“I was born and raised in Aubervilliers in 93, frankly, I have never seen that”tells the microphone of France 3 Paris Ile-de-France, Karima Allouache, the wife of Doctor Oulmekki, herself a general practitioner in the office.

Moved, one of the doctor's patients said she was sorry. She states: “finding a treating doctor who has known you for a long time is very difficult“.

Sharp increase in violence against doctors in 2023, according to figures published at the beginning of October by the Observatory of the Order of Physicians. Nearly 1,600 incidents and verbal or physical violence were recorded in 2023 in France, an increase of 27% in one year, indicates the Observatory.

This study specifies that general practitioners are “on the front line”representing 64% of reported incidents while they represent 43% of the medical population. Among the other professionals affected, all specialties are concerned, in particular psychiatrists (3%) and ophthalmologists (2%).

More than half of these 1,581 reported cases concern attacks by the patient (62%), more rarely, it concerns an attendant (16%), according to this observatory. More than a third of these incidents are linked to a “reproach relating to care” (38%). This is followed by “refusal of prescription” (19%), “falsification of document” (prescription, certificate, 12%) and “waiting time considered excessive” (10%).

The vast majority of incidents are verbal attacks and threats (73%), more rarely thefts or attempted thefts (8%), physical attacks (8%) or vandalism (7%). Of all the cases declared, 6% resulted in work interruption.

The National Council of the Order of Physicians has set up a security representative in each department, as well as an ordinal mutual assistance service to support and assist doctors who have been attacked in dealing with the authorities. Experimental devices are also being studied, such as “press buttons” to sound the alarm.

The Council further recalls “that it is very important that doctors file complaints“, in reaction to the low rate of incidents giving rise to a complaint (31% of cases).