"We're worn out . " Isabelle Lefebvre has been a radio operator since 2007 at the Louis Pasteur hospital in Colmar. Thirteen years that this 35-year-old health professional gives of her person to do the job that fascinates her, while deploring the blatant lack of recognition.
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The manipulators in medical electroradiology - they would be nearly 35,000 in France - take care of producing the radios, under the responsibility of a doctor. They can work in the private sector or in public hospitals. "I mainly do medical imaging exams, from CT to MRI," says Isabelle Lefebvre. I take care of preparing the exam, I prepare the patient, I do the exam and then I take care of his follow-up. Sometimes I see him regularly to check . ” There are also other aspects of the profession such as the practice of nuclear medicine, radiotherapy which makes it possible, among other things, to treat tumors, or functional explorations, that is to say the implementation of treatments using ionizing radiation.
We're not button presses
Cécile Mata, radio manipulator at the Bordeaux University HospitalExcept that the radio manipulators do not have the status of caregivers. "We are a little forgotten in hospitals, cowardly Isabelle Lefebvre, bitter. We are considered medical technicians but not caregivers. But I consider myself a caregiver! I take care of patients, I can give injections like nurses, for certain examinations. And then there is a whole psychological aspect ” . Radio manipulators are therefore not affected by the caregiver reforms and are not eligible for the Veil and Buzyn premiums. "The ministry finally conceded that we were entitled to this bonus, but the text is vague and it is left to the discretion of the director of the hospital, details the health professional. Here in Colmar we don't touch her ” .
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A movement was thus launched this summer, mobilization which gained momentum in November with a first day of strike on November 21, followed by a second on January 21. "The movement continues, it will be long but we will not give up," promises Cécile Mata, radio manipulator at the Bordeaux University Hospital for 17 years. “Our conditions have deteriorated, we have more and more patients, with less and less time. We are not pushers! ” A statement shared by Isabelle: "We have hellish rates, sometimes six patients per hour, which makes ten minutes per patient!"
As with many professions in public hospitals, there has also been a shift in tasks. "Everyone does everyone's job at the hospital," deplores Laurent Laporte, secretary general of the Federal Union of doctors, engineers, managers and technicians of the CGT (UFMICT CGT). They are asked to do a little bit of nursing work, to do administrative work. They would like to be able to concentrate on their profession and not be parasitized by additional tasks . ” In addition to the multiplication of tasks, there is the lack of means and staff, extended hours or even the arduousness of work due to the handling of ionizing products in particular. All this for relatively low wages. At the start of his career, a radio manipulator earns around 1,400 euros net per month. After several decades of seniority, Cécile and Isabelle are around 1800 euros net per month.
Stock quotes strike
"Manips want to have a job that allows them to live normally," emphasizes Jacques Duperret, CGT manager who supports the manipulators especially during their official meetings. They have expertise, they handle a lot of products. These are very technical professions and very close to care ” . "To have a decent standard of living, many go private," says Cécile Mata. We obtained the degree of license without salary increase while we spend our lives caring for people. We want a revaluation of our salary scales. We no longer attract young people ” .
To succeed, the radio manipulators set up the strike of the quotations: they do not transmit any more information on the examinations which they make pass to the Social security, preventing the reimbursement of the hospitals. At Louis Pasteur hospital in Colmar, strikes take place mainly during national days, according to Isabelle Lefebvre. In other hospitals, such as Bordeaux or Nice, the movement has gained momentum.
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"After we love our job," slips Isabelle. That's why we want to fight, that we want to be better considered. And then, we would like to introduce our profession a little, many patients have no idea that this is a profession in its own right ” . Isabelle will be on strike this Friday. While continuing to care for his patients.