At least a thousand demonstrators gathered on Saturday morning in Remiremont (Vosges), in order to
“defend and maintain”
this local hospital, targeted by several complaints from relatives of patients who died there in suspicious conditions.
“More than 3,000 people gathered this morning in Remiremont to defend the hospital and maternity ward”
of the town and to
“support the hospital staff
,” the town of Plombières-les-Bains indicated on its Facebook page. , about ten kilometers away.
According to local media, the police counted 1,500 participants, and the organizers 3,000.
Long list of closed beds
The Association for the Defense of the Maintenance and Improvement of Maternity (ADEMAT-H) of Remiremont, which launched this call for mobilization, deplores that
“the hospital is disintegrating day after day”
: night emergencies there have been closed for two months, maternity activity is maintained until April 6 but partial closures are feared, while
"half a floor of medical beds has been closed since mid-January"
, adding to a already
“long list”
of closed beds.
The mayor of Remiremont, Jean-Benoit Tisserand, welcomed on his social networks a
“huge citizen mobilization”
which made it possible to
“reaffirm our attachment to the Remiremont hospital and our recognition for the essential work”
carried out by the 800 health workers employees.
In December, Aurélien Rousseau, then Minister of Health, displayed his
“confidence”
in the establishment.
“We cannot do without a hospital center in Remiremont, a maternity ward
,” insisted the minister, assuring that the closure in the fall for a month of the orthopedic surgery department following complaints filed by relatives of patients who died in suspicious conditions in the department
“was not the prelude to any closure whatsoever”
.
“We are in a solid hospital, registered in its territory
,” insisted the minister.
Since last year, a dozen complaints have been filed against the hospital for suspicious deaths of patients, particularly in the orthopedic surgery department.
Eight years ago, 2,500 people gathered to say no to the closure of the maternity ward in this city.