Quickly, the Samu of Seine-et-Marne (77) found itself overwhelmed. Some 7,000 calls a day - with a 15-minute wait - on the weekend of March 14, compared to 700 in normal times. At the medical college of the Kremlin-Bicêtre (Val-de-Marne), 2nd and 3rd year students were requisitioned to lend a hand to the medical regulation assistants (MRAs) of the department, at the Melun hospital.
"90% of calls are answered, compared to 30% before our arrival," says Blanche Lallier, 20, a third-year student. The girl is one of the very many volunteers (almost all of her class), among whom 30 have been selected. Their mission? Manage "Covid" calls. First of all, take the contact details of the person, then ask them the three questions: "Do you exercise a medical profession?", "Do you suffer from a chronic disease?", " Are you in respiratory distress? "
Read also: "As long as I can, I make myself useful": faced with the coronavirus, they decided to volunteer
“This distress is generally heard on the phone. I would say it's one in ten calls , says Blanche. Yes
This article is for subscribers only. You still have 68% to discover.
Subscribe: € 1 for 2 months
cancellable at any time
Enter your emailAlready subscribed? Log in