A large number of surgeries in French hospitals have been delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Overseas Network

Overseas network on January 20, many hospitals in France launched the "White Plan" in the fifth wave of the epidemic, postponing non-essential surgery, on the one hand, in order to treat new crown patients, on the other hand, due to the shortage of nursing staff, which caused the treatment of some patients to be delayed.

According to Le Parisien, Elena Lejos, president of the French Federation of Pediatric Surgeons and doctor at the St. Josephine Hospital in Marseille, said that in January 2022 alone, she cancelled 24 surgeries on babies, children and adolescents, mainly involving hernias, urinary system problems, genital deformities and other surgeries, although these are not cancers, but still make patients painful, uncomfortable, at risk of complications, and the patient's parents are very anxious. She said these patients could have been treated in time without the pressure of COVID-19, but now they have to wait three to five months. In the last month or so, surgeries have decreased by 70% in Marseille hospitals and 27% in Paris, while COVID-19 inpatients are still increasing.

Across France, a large number of surgeries and medical consultations have been postponed or even cancelled, and some patients' appointments have been rescheduled for the third or even more minor occasions. Some patients have been furious, blaming the situation on unvaccinated people who believe they occupy hospital beds.

Jean-François Tebaux, vice president of the French Diabetes Federation, said that diabetics are the most affected group, and delays in treatment and care may lead to worsening of foot wounds and an increase in the number of amputees.

Hervais Fernandez, a gynecologist in the Paris region, said he had to postpone surgeries for endometriosis, uterine prolapse, uterine fibroids and other surgeries. In the past two years, hospitals have had to reprogram beds for COVID-19 patients, especially severe patients, and the number of patients admitted to hospitals has decreased by 2.3 million in 2020 alone, and now more problems are the lack of caregivers.

Frederick Ceyen, a surgeon at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, said that in his schedule, surgeries such as hip or knee replacement, which were scheduled for January, will have to be postponed until April. He explained that hospital shortages had been chronic before the COVID-19 outbreak, exacerbated by the pandemic, with some caregivers switching careers, some quitting jobs in other cities or working in higher-paid COVID-19 vaccination centres, and many absent from work as COVID-19 infections or contacts of cases.

Jean-Claude de Haro, director of the Cardiology Department at the Timona Hospital in Marseille, believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the structural problems of French hospitals, "an epidemic is enough to destroy the foundations of our health system, and we need to better meet the needs of caregivers." ”

France's ministry of health has pledged not to downplay tensions in the health care system, "which is really there, especially after two years of exhausting covid-19 crisis for caregivers." But France launched the Ségur reform program in 2020, and the situation in hospitals has begun to change and will continue to improve in terms of career attractiveness, higher salaries, more training and more.

As of the 20th, there are 27,230 hospitalized covid-19 patients in France, of which 3,187 are hospitalized within 24 hours, and there are 3,852 severely ill COVID-19 patients in the country, an increase of 330 in 24 hours. (Overseas Network - Paris - Lujia)

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