“I'm not going to let my mom die in the car,” exclaims Thomas*, carrying his mother from her black sedan to a wheeled chair.
“She is in an advanced state of fatigue”.
The elderly lady moans as her son pushes her towards the emergency entrance of the Bel-Air hospital in Thionville, in Moselle (57).
However, the emergencies of this establishment of the regional hospital center (CHR) Metz-Thionville only welcome vital and pediatric emergencies since December 30.
And for good reason, 55 nurses and nursing assistants out of the 59 in this service are on sick leave, i.e. 93% of these staff.
"Due to numerous sick leaves filed (
Friday
) by the healthcare team, the Metz-Thionville regional hospital center is modifying the operation of the adult emergency department of the hospital" in Thionville, "until January 6", had announced in a press release the CHR, which had immediately launched its White plan on December 31.
Non-vital emergencies are redirected to other establishments in Moselle or neighboring Luxembourg.
A complex situation for a city with more than 41,000 inhabitants.
“Welcome to the third world”, plague Thomas.
“We call the emergency room, there is no one, on the 15th, there is no one, so imagine the distress.
The doctors do not want to move, only happiness ”.
Just before, it was David, in his twenties, who came out empty-handed from his visit to the reception for the second day in a row.
For 6 days, he has been struggling to eat because of a swollen mouth and severe pain.
"There, I'm a little lost, what!
“, he breathes.
Read also“The teams are exhausted”: in Thionville, 93% of emergency nurses are on sick leave
If the caregivers at Bel-Air hospital are no longer in a condition to go to work, it is because of generalized exhaustion in the midst of a triple epidemic of Covid, bronchiolitis and Flu.
“These are years of practices in degraded mode which make it crack one day”, analyzes Cyril Louis, SUD Health-Social Representative at the Metz-Thionville CHR, who points to alerts issued since October and a lack listening to management.
In an attempt to find a way out of the crisis, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) has promised the creation of 12 permanent positions in the emergency room of Bel-Air hospital on January 3.
"These six nurses' stations will have to ensure 24-hour activity, and the six nursing assistants will be required to work on stretchers, "nursing", taking care of patients, but also make the link with the families,”
said David Larivière, interim director general of CHR Metz-Thionville.
Around Thionville, other establishments have been on the verge of chaos for a few days.
Sarreguemines hospital launched its white plan on January 4.
On the morning of the 6th, another white plan was activated in Saint-Avold.
In the emergency room, 32 nurses and nursing assistants were placed on sick leave on January 5 out of the quarantine of these personnel in the service.
*Name has been changed