"We decided not to let it go! The tone is combative. "You hear, as I speak to you, I am more and more rebellious. This revolt, Paul Benalloul, 81, does not intend to contain it. At a time when the elderly are, however, the most exposed to the coronavirus, the epidemic wave is of such magnitude that it is sometimes no longer possible to treat all the sick. Some doctors recognize this, they may have to make choices in the hospital. One criterion leans in the balance, that of age. And the rare places in intensive care are sometimes reserved for those under 70 or 75 years old in certain saturated services.
"I understood that if I was contaminated, I would not be admitted to intensive care," says the pensioner, who suffers from breathing asbestos when he taught physics at the University of Jussieu in 1970s. For him and his friends of the same age, this painful selection creates a feeling of anxiety. “Around me, some are completely dejected, stressed, they lose their sleep. "
That caregivers may have to make choices during such a crisis, Paul can understand it, even if he deplores it. But what revolts him is that this sorting is the heavy consequence of a lack of means. If there is no other solution, never mind, the government must get involved and lay down rules. This is what the brand new Coronavictimes association, which Paul has joined and which has decided to take action before the Council of State with the anti-asbestos committee Jussieu, which brings together people with serious respiratory diseases, is demanding today.
"Macabre Choice"
Both are chaired by whistleblower Michel Parigot. "In normal times, we know that not all patients go to intensive care when they are too old and sick because they could not bear it," explains this researcher in mathematics at the CNRS. But, to arbitrate, doctors rely on a medical examination. With the Covid-19, it's completely different. The older ones don't go because there are no more beds! "
Their interim release, an emergency procedure, was sent to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health who must respond as soon as possible, by Monday morning. The report is severe: "macabre choice", "barrier in access to care", "endangering the lives of others", "attack on human dignity", we can read. Faced with this "breach of equality", he asked the government to supervise "the appearance of these brutal practices".
No question for these associations to leave to the medical profession alone the responsibility of sorting. “We make this choice rest on individuals. However, it is not up to doctors to say who should live or die, it is up to the State to take its responsibilities and put in place directives. " Instructions ? “They will set guidelines given the shortage of beds. From this protocol, the doctor can make a collegial decision. It will be felt to be fairer by the population. "
"Arbitrary filtering"
Aggravating fact, according to Paul, the lack of means to protect oneself from the virus: "If there were masks and tests for everyone, I would understand that we revive a person of 30 years rather than 80, but there , This is not the case. We are endangered when we may not be able to be treated. It is unfair ! "This Parisian teacher waits for the state to react:" This referral is a spur that we enter the ribs of power, it must be justified, "he exclaims.
Their request is not reduced to sorting in intensive care. According to the text, residents of Ehpad severely affected by Covid-19 would be left at the door of hospitals. "We favor a death within the establishment except that there is no specific organization of the State to guarantee them a painless end of life, people will die from respiratory distress", criticizes Michel Parigot , evoking "an arbitrary filtering".
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
A nuanced position, even contested by the medical profession and the directors of Ehpad. "We don't know how these choices are made," continues the researcher. The rules that determine hospital admission are not set out. According to the president of the Coronavictimes association, the elderly will be "sacrificed" in a crisis that he considers poorly managed. "And the worst part," he says, "is that the government isn't taking it on. "