“Doctors and patients find themselves in a worrying situation” reacts Emmanuelle Gazel, mayor of Millau, after the expulsion of a Tunisian psychiatrist

On May 28, more than 300 people mobilized in front of the Millau sub-prefecture. Midi Libre – F.MAYET

The mayor of Millau Emmanuelle Gazel regrets the inflexible position of the prefect of Aveyron linked to the expulsion, effective May 31, of a psychiatrist of Tunisian origin who practiced for 18 months at the Millavois mental health center. 

First walled in media silence – like all local elected officials – During the last week of May, at the height of the mobilization to prevent the expulsion by the Aveyron prefecture of a Tunisian psychiatrist working at the Millau health center, mayor Emmanuelle Gazel chosen, this Thursday noon, to take stock.

Also read: "There is a doctor and they fire him, we are at the end" : anger in Millau after the expulsion of a Tunisian psychiatrist

"Doctors and patients find themselves in a worrying situation. We are mobilized, alongside them, in this anxiety-provoking context for them.  Nationally, 40% of positions in psychiatry remain unfilled. This has unfortunately been the case in Millau and in South Aveyron for many years: we have five open positions and only one really filled by a regular doctor."< /p>

"Guaranteeing health care for South Aveyron must not become a political matter"

Dr Gonzalez, head of department, being on sick leave since Monday June 3, the only remaining psychiatrist, of foreign origin and therefore covered by PADHUE status (practitioner qualified outside the European Union) does not can exercise alone. "As of Friday, May 31 in the evening, we brought together a crisis unit at the Millau hospital center to find solutions to public psychiatric support in South Aveyron."

“We will not last forever”

Since Monday June 3 "the service is reorganized with, therefore, only one doctor" confirms Marie-Caroline Espié, nurse at the Millau mental health center. "The number of hospital beds has been reduced, we are no longer taking new patients and we are forced to spend our time reassuring users. The teams are holding up even though we have twice as much work. There is an impact on general care services which are obliged to keep patients normally intended for psychiatry. In fact, psychiatric nurses have to travel a lot more to the hospital. This tests the teams. We will not last indefinitely but the patient remains our priority." For her part, Corinne Mora, CGT health at the hospital, confirms fears about a future departmentalization of psychiatry in Aveyron. "We have an appointment on Friday June 14 in Montpellier with Didier Jaffre, general director of ARS Occitanie."

Emmanuelle Gazel specified that the Sainte-Marie hospital center in Rodez, a private health establishment of collective interest (Espic) accepted "d&rsquo ;ensure this supervision on an interim basis. Like the two child psychiatrists at the Millau hospital and the psychiatrist Hadrich, a former hospital practitioner now practicing privately in Millau. We are also looking for temporary workers for the continuity of the service."

Also read: Expulsion of a Tunisian psychiatrist to Millau: "But what is our deputy Rousset doing ?"

What remains is a precarious situation, to say the least, which Emmanuelle Gazel claims she did not want to politicize. "Guaranteeing health care provision in South Aveyron must not become a political matter. We provided support to the doctor threatened with expulsion on April 23 with a letter addressed to the prefect of Aveyron. We would have liked the situation to be analyzed with discernment and humanity."

Possible health and safety consequences

Emmanuelle Gazel regrets that, on this specific subject, "the public authorities did not prioritize the general interest. Because the absence of public psychiatrists in an area as large as ours can have very detrimental consequences. In terms of health and safety. We do not want to be associated with these choices."

Also read: Millau: demonstration in front of the sub-prefecture to support the psychiatrist threatened with expulsion

No question either, for the mayor of Millau, of giving substance "to rumors in the corridor"& nbsp;concerning the possible departmentalization of psychiatry…for the benefit of Sainte-Marie in Rodez. "It’we act in proximity. Thank you for the collaboration but there is no question of merging psychiatry at the departmental level. I expressed myself very clearly on this subject to the ARS (Regional Health Agency). This is really not the time to consider groupings, administrative changes to care." And to announce a future letter addressed , next week, to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

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