“There is an urgent need to save the first caregivers of the health system.
The medical regulation assistants (ARM) of the Samu are calling for reinforcements and an upgrading of their profession, while calls for 15 have exploded under the effect of winter epidemics.
The profession is "on the verge of implosion", wrote this Tuesday in a press release the French Association of Medical Regulation Assistants (Afarm), one of the two organizations in the sector.
First interlocutors of patients during calls to centers 15, there are around 2,500 ARMs in the territory, according to Afarm, which is calling for “800 additional ones to work in more humane conditions”.
Training capacities have been increased, and should reach around 750 places by the end of 2023, compared to 400 today.
But these courses, which last ten months, are far from full.
Organizations in the sector question the working conditions and the level of remuneration, which starts at around 1400 euros.
Make the profession more attractive
To enhance the attractiveness of the profession, they demand that ARMs be paid into the "caregiver sector" - and not administrative - of the public hospital service, but also in the "active category" in order to benefit from early retirement. .
In addition, representatives of medical regulation assistants are demanding better recognition of “new coordinator and supervisor positions” in order to “give future prospects” to the most experienced ARMs.
"Without status, without a communication campaign worthy of the name, we will not be able to recruit," said Yann Rouet, co-president of Afarm, who describes professionals who are "exhausted, who leave the ship sometimes burnt out”.
The association requests “an urgent meeting” with the Minister of Health, François Braun, an emergency doctor a few months ago.
“The profession is out of breath and is issuing a final warning cry.
If this remains unheard once again, it will be the last before an unprecedented national movement of ARMs”, warns the organization.
