Compulsory vaccination of caregivers: tolerance granted to the Martinique University Hospital, no "exhaustive control at entry"

Tuesday afternoon, Olivier Véran solemnly affirmed to the National Assembly to have "requested that the vaccination obligation be applied in Guadeloupe [and Martinique] as throughout the territory of the Republic, with discernment, with progressivity, as the sanitary pressure decreases ”. At the same time, the management of the University Hospital of Martinique (CHUM) announced in an internal note relayed by France Info that "all staff will be able to enter their service" with or without health pass. Those who will not be vaccinated will simply be "invited" to be tested.

Contacted by Le Parisien, the French overseas ministry confirms that "for the sake of appeasement, the decision was taken not to carry out an exhaustive check at the entrance to the CHUM by presenting security guards there who will be constantly confronted with cases of non-compliance with the health pass ”.

On the other hand, between 10 and 15 people should be checked daily and those who are not in good standing will be "summoned" to be vaccinated and suspended if they still refuse it.

Read also Covid-19: Martinique, Guyana ... why overseas are three times less vaccinated than the metropolis

More than one in two caregivers at the CHUM is not vaccinated, which is the case for 130,000 health professionals nationwide, according to information from Le Parisien.

This “individual approach” at the local level was taken as a principle of reality, given the growing tension on the spot and the impact that the situation had on the organization of care.

Clashes

For several days, the police and demonstrators opposed to the vaccination obligation and the health pass have regularly opposed in front of the entrance to the CHUM.

On Friday, clashes even led to the arrest of three people.

This Monday, a sit-in bringing together several hundred people was organized in front of the establishment, while justice ordered opponents to release access.

In a statement, the medical community called for the establishment of a "mediation" to find a solution to this "problem of implementation of the law, which goes beyond the usual interlocutors of the social dialogue of the hospital. ".

The management also promised Tuesday to launch "shortly" such a step "to allow the implementation of a negotiated solution".

#Coronavirus # Covid19 #OutreMer #Martinique # Santé #CHUM #PassSanitaire: In a note addressed to the staff of the University Hospital of Martinique, the Director announces that "all staff can enter their department" with or without health pass @ CHUM972 pic .twitter.com / 2eY2PSAMh0

- Gilles BELMO (@GillesBELMO) October 19, 2021

The health situation has clearly improved in Martinique, but 163 Covid-19 patients are still hospitalized and 36 of them are in intensive care.

This is more than the peak of each of the previous "waves" (before that of this summer, where the number of hospitalized has climbed to 800).

"We will have to make a choice between access to care for the sick or the application of this law on the obligation of vaccination and the health pass", indicated last week Serge Aribo, one of the leaders of the intersyndicale at the forefront of mobilization.