Towards job cuts in pediatric surgery at Montpellier University Hospital

Le service de chirurgie pédiatrique du CHU de Montpellier. ML – SG

Le personnel a été informé de "la suppression de cinq postes et de la fermeture de trois lits". Suite à une rencontre avec la direction, l’ampleur de cette réorganisation pourrait être revue.

Tension is rising at Montpellier University Hospital. This Tuesday, June 11, at the end of the afternoon, a meeting took place between the healthcare management and the representative unions, in the presence of doctors and agents working in pediatric surgery.

The latter would in fact have learned the same day "the elimination of five positions (four childcare workers and one childcare assistant) and the closure of three beds", according to an employee of the service.

According to them, it was an insufficient occupancy rate which was put forward by management to motivate this decision. Parents of hospitalized children launched a petition against this measure which collected 167 signatures this Wednesday, June 12.

In this department, "beds have already been moved with the corresponding staffing levels, i.e. three beds during the week and up to eight at the weekend" quot;, inform several unions.

"The bed occupancy rates are considered too low by management but how can we talk about profitability in this service ?, questions the CGT. And how to quantify the time spent supporting families or dealing with children's pain ?"< /p>

"This will result in a drop in activity"

"The management tells us of a deficit of 16 M€, but on a budget of almost 900 M€, that& rsquo;is very little. The Montpellier University Hospital is even one of the least deficit in France. Do we want to absorb it partly on the backs of the children who have just had surgery?? If this measure passes, it will result in a drop in activity of the service…& quot;

“This reorganization concerns five out of 27 agents, which is not insignificant,” says Unsa. But the inter-union has obtained that the workload be studied. Management will come back to us this Thursday, June 13 with other proposals. We are fortunate to have a pediatric surgery department at the CHU, which is far from being the case everywhere."