What if private clinics did not strike on June 3 ? The hope of seeing the last round of negotiations succeed

Empty blocks from June 3 ? Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

A way out of the crisis triggered by the government's decisions on the financing of private clinics and the public hospital, with respective increases of + 0.3 % and +  ;4.3% announced in March, is open until Friday May 24.

"There will be no more entrances, surgery, chemotherapy, maternity, cardiology…" : Valentin Viala, director of the Valdegour clinic, increased the pressure this Thursday, May 23, surrounded by Floriane Nambert, director of the Bonnefon clinic and the Gard Cancer Institute (ICG), and Valérie Bazin, operational director of the Grand Sud clinic.

In Gard, the Elsan group announces that the strike will be followed in its five clinics, like the national mobilization launched by the powerful federation of private hospitalization (FHP) led by Héraultais Lamine Gharbi, president of the Cap Santé group, after the government arbitrated, on March 26, on the financing of private clinics and the public hospital in 2024: + 0 .4% for the first, +3.4% for the second.

A massive movement is announced in the 1030 French clinics at the initiative of the FHP, supported by five unions of private specialist doctors. Will it take place ?

In Hérault, clinic owners remain cautious about the rescheduling of consultations, outpatient procedures, and hospitalizations scheduled for the beginning of next month. And the regional director of the ARS, Didier Jaffre, does not risk giving an update on the impact of the strike in Occitanie.

Behind the scenes, we are giving a chance to the final round of negotiations underway until this Friday, May 24 with the Ministry of Health, perhaps less firm in its intransigence. "We must find a way to reallocate 500 million euros to private clinics", explains a private sector actor. 500 million euros is, according to Lamine Gharbi, interviewed by Ouest France, "the gap with what was granted to the public& ;quot;. It remains to be found in the "multi-annual financing protocol", proposed Wednesday by the Minister for Health Frédéric Valletoux.

Without touching the initial announcements, + 0.4 % for the private sector, + 3.4 % for the public.

Warming up at SantExpo

Organized from May 21 to 23 in Paris, the interprofessional health fair SantExpo, which presents itself as "the leading event of the French hospital federation" (FHF), the public hospital, showed clear signs of a renewed dialogue .

"No money story between us", slipped, on the stand of the FHP, the Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity, Catherine Vautrin, who recalled, in front of a all-smiling Lamine Gharbi, that "the French system works well when it operates on both legs, i.e. public and private".

At the close of the show, this Thursday evening, a press release from the FHP salutes "an edition placed under the sign of mobilization, recognition and ;rsquo;equity", and shares the renewed dialogue: "A long exchange allowed Lamine Gharbi d& rsquo;structuring issues for our profession with the director of care provision at the Ministry of Health, Marie Daudé.

This year, for the first time, "40 % of private clinics and hospitals are in deficit" , to the tune of  670 million euros", recalled Lamine Gharbi before the arbitration fell.

As for the public deficit, it amounts to 1 billion euros and could double in 2024 according to players in the sector.