Clotilde Dumay with Laura Laplaud
08:30, November 01, 2022
The bronchiolitis epidemic which has been raging in the territory since the beginning of October continues to spread and leads to the saturation of pediatric intensive care units in certain hospitals. While some patients are transferred to other establishments, parents themselves travel to other regions to obtain a consultation.
On October 22, a collective of 7,000 pediatric caregivers had launched a cry of alarm in an open letter to Emmanuel Macron, denouncing the saturation of pediatric emergencies, while an epidemic of bronchiolitis was falling on France. In response, the Minister of Health, François Braun, announced the implementation of an “immediate action plan” and the release of 150 million euros for “hospital services under tension”. But two weeks later, pediatric wards are still stretched thin and failing to cope with the growing outbreak.
“We were not intended to take care of the little ones from Nice”
Some hospitals find themselves obliged to transfer patients to other establishments. For their part, some parents travel themselves to other regions to try to obtain a consultation for their child. This is the case in the south of the country where some families travel to Monaco. “It is necessary, that at the departmental level, there is a reflection very quickly to try to find solutions for everyone”, assures doctor Hervé Haas, head of the pediatric service of the Princess Grace Hospital Center.
“We have agreements with France to take care of the French people who are in the near crown, but we were not intended to take care of the little ones from Nice, from the hinterland of Nice, or even from Grasse”, explains the doctor at the microphone of Europe 1. The situation could continue to worsen, 28 children have already been transferred from Île-de-France to intensive care units in other regions.
“We risk finding ourselves in the same situation as our neighbors in France”
“Unfortunately, we see more and more that parents are willing to travel for miles by car to come to Monaco. There is an increase of between 35 and 40% in one year in activity, which is still important,” he says. “On weekends, when there is a single doctor who sees 30 or 40 children in the emergency room, it becomes difficult. So we cannot afford to say that we are going to increase the activity … We risk finding ourselves in the same situation as our neighbors in France”, he laments.
Source: Europe1
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
