Faced with the coronavirus, these doctors who have become politicians are on the front line

Under the tricolor scarf, the white blouse. In the political world, the unprecedented health crisis in the country has not given birth to new vocations, it has unearthed old ones. Thus, many elected officials who, before serving Marianne had first promised themselves to Hippocrates, donned the white blouse.

Some of these faces, especially, have squatted on the skylights in recent weeks. There is that of Olivier Véran, of course, not yet 40 years old and just landed at the Ministry of Health. This trained neurologist did not strictly take the road to the hospital, but became the voice of this crisis, informs the country of the evolution of the epidemic. He replaced Agnès Buzyn in mid-February, who left at a slack to embark on the race at the Paris City Hall.

According to our information, the former minister and candidate in perdition, renowned hematologist last week asked for his temporary reinstatement at the AP-HP, in order to lend a helping hand. She is now waiting for her assignment. “Minister one day, doctor always. The hospital is going to need me, ”she concluded her confusing“ World ”confession a week ago.

"The two hardest jobs at the moment are the Minister of Health and the caregiver," Jean Rottner told us on the phone. President (LR) of the Grand-Est region - sad laboratory of the infectious episode in France -, this former head of the emergency department of the Mulhouse hospital is on the front line. "I am at the service of my colleagues, with humility," confides the elected official.

"United and united"

Jean Rottner gives "episodic helping hands", sets up the distribution networks for these masks which are so lacking, unblocks intensive care beds at the German neighbor's, helps with the regulation at the Samu for the cases of Covid-19. "It's extremely hard, but there is great solidarity here," says Rottner. He sometimes exchanges text messages directly with Emmanuel Macron, his cabinet, Edouard Philippe or Olivier Véran, to give them information on the second health front in France.

In this crisis, we also saw a lot of Philippe Juvin, head of the emergency service at Georges Pompidou. Mayor (LR) of La Garenne-Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine). A former MEP, he has never completely abandoned his medical cap. And became a chief educator in this troubled time.

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More discreet but no less important, several deputies also rolled up their sleeves. "I wanted to make myself available," tells Thomas Mesnier on the phone. A 34-year-old LREM deputy in Charente, he returned to service on Monday at the Angoulême hospital, where he practiced three years ago as an emergency doctor. A second emergency department was set up in no time to prepare for the arrival of the dreaded “wave” of coronavirus. "The situation is getting worse," already notes Mesnier, who also salutes the mindset of the caregivers, "united and united".

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Doctors have always been a highly represented professional category in politics. More than 25 current deputies come from the medical field. "We are doctors above all," explains Delphine Bagarry, 50, MP (formerly LREM) from Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, generalist and emergency physician by training. She took care of organizing a network of doctor referrals to follow patients at home, pending a call from the hospitals of Manosque or Digne-les-Bains, where she offered her services.

Her colleague from the Palais Bourbon Emmanuelle Fontaine-Domeizel should also go to her two establishments to give them feedback. Member of the health reserve, this nurse spent a week on a mission in Besançon (Doubs), where the cases of Covid-19 have already flocked. She spent nights on call there serving infectious diseases. "When I got there, I really said to myself it's war," she says, telling a hospital that is running "at full speed".

Waiting for the wave

"Here it is very anxiety-provoking, we are waiting for the wave ...", confides Annie Chapelier (ex-LREM), 52, a nurse anesthetist back on duty in Nîmes (Gard). Like a "vigil of arms", she says, deploring in particular the lack of Covid-19 screening for carers.

All the deputies keep in parallel a link with their parliamentary team, make regular points by videoconference. President (LR) of the Creuse departmental council, Valérie Simonet does the same with her team in the department. A liberal nurse for thirty years, she has offered her services in several nursing homes and is ready to replace her former cabinet colleagues. If the Creuse is for the moment rather spared, its population is aging; Simonet dreads the massacre. Like many, both ready and partly distraught: "It is unreal, what we experience. "