One year after its general meeting, Alès Agglo draws up an initial assessment of its progress in health

Avec l’ARS et l’Assurance Maladie, “vous vous trouvez face à des murs en permanence” selon Christophe Rivenq. Midi Libre – Alexis BETHUNE

Nearly a year after the conclusion of the General Health Meetings of Alès Agglo, the president of the community Christophe Rivenq draws up an initial assessment, with some successes and hints of bitterness towards state organizations.

The Estates General of Health were presented with great fanfare on the stage of the Cratère on November 6, 2023, in the presence of the relevant minister at the time, Aurélien Rousseau from Gard.

Almost a year later, the president of Alès Agglo Christophe Rivenq draws up, this Wednesday, September 4, an initial assessment of the action plan drawn up following this major study phase carried out to clearly determine the needs of the Basin in terms of access to care.

Read also: Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau applauds Alès Agglo's work on health

While emphasizing that, according to a study conducted by the Agglo, the issue of health comes first in the expectations of residents of the Alès basin, “access to specialties is the weak point in the territory, it is unfortunately not just a problem linked to Alès“, recalls Christophe Rivenq, citing the shortage of dermatologists and gynecologists.

“The other sector to work on, he continues, is that of access to non-scheduled care.“The opening of an outpatient care center last November on the top floor of the Gard Vision Institute is one of the successes announced, with four new doctors who have taken care of nearly 1,000 patients. A step in combating the shortage of general practitioners. In the Bassin, half of the 80 GPs established are over 60 years old.

The Agglo also notes the opening of the new premises of the caregivers' house, place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance, or the health centers of Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues and Saint-Julien-les-Rosiers, which will soon be followed by the one currently being built in Génolhac.

“We need to break down the barriers! Leave us alone!”

However, a hint of irritation can be heard in Christophe Rivenq's voice regarding the complexity of developing healthcare provision on an Alès scale. Presented during the Estates General, the projects for a pediatric care center called “the hummingbird house” and the health bus responsible for improving access to care in the most remote areas are being held back by the requirements of public bodies. The first has not received a label because “it does not fit into the frameworks defined by the ARS”. The second, intended as a vehicle with a team of varied skills and services on board, "was transformed into a medical bus with only a general practitioner on board".

Although "negotiations" are underway with the ARS, “We are also starting to work with municipalities in the agglomeration to define anchor points”, the result”does not seem to meet the expectations of the elected official. “During the General States, Minister Aurélien Rousseau and the ARS management said: “Propose, we'll follow you”. For the moment it's more like: “Propose, we'll block you”! All this because the projects don't fit into the framework. We must continue to put pressure on the country to see legal developments. The government must let those who know the territories work. We must break down barriers! Leave us alone!”

The urban area also points to improvements in the operation of the Alès hospital (read below), with which, as well as with the Bonnefon clinic in the city center, work is underway to manage the issue of emergency care in order to better advise patients on good practices to adopt.

The hope of a “consolidated” hospital

In office since last May, Christian Cataldo, the new director of the Alès hospital center, detailed alongside Christophe Rivenq, chairman of the hospital's supervisory board, the first actions in place to "consolidate" the services.

"We are working on medical recruitment and on attractiveness", he explains, with initial actions undertaken for emergencies that have made it possible to avoid regulating patients this summer. “If all goes well, he continues, all the services will be consolidated this year.” Recruitment in many of them (emergency, child psychiatry, psychiatry, oncology, gastroenterology, urology or radiology) as well as the arrival of 8 externs in the medical teams are also underway. “An MRI machine will be installed next year, not to mention the scanner at the Ponteils hospital, which will meet a need for proximity“. A development to alleviate the fragile financial situation of the hospital: “The more doctors we have, the better the hospital will be”. However, “this does not mean that we can do everything“, he emphasizes, insisting on the need to go to the emergency room only as a last resort. This year, the Alès emergency room has exceeded the 52,0000 admissions mark.

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