The Nord-Mayenne hospital has been forced to temporarily close its maternity ward because of a lack of available anaesthetists.
La Loi Rist
This shortage of doctors is related to the introduction on Monday April 3, 2023 of the Rist law. In recent years, the salary of interim doctors has varied between 2,000 and 4,000 euros for a shift. From now on, with the Rist law, the government has introduced a limit: no more than 1,390 euros gross for a 24-hour shift.
Laval Hospital
For 7 days, from Sunday April 16th, women in labour will have to go to the Laval hospital center or other neighbouring establishments. A dedicated team is in place at Laval to provide increased capacity.
The maternity ward at Laval has several individual rooms which can be added to their usual 17 rooms. The Mayenne maternity service has informed all affected mothers-to-be. All the staff at Laval and Mayenne, with the support of the Angers University Hospital, are focused on the continued care and support of mothers and newborns.
The other gynecology-obstetrics services are unaffected.
Staff shortages
It’s not the first time this year that the hospital has had to suspend services due to staff shortages. Both in January and March this year, A&E services were suspended. The department as a whole is struggling to attract medical staff with many health professionals warning of an imminent crisis. In particular, GP services, dental services and mental health support is under strain.
Yannick Favennec
The deputy of Mayenne, Yannick Favennec, questioned the Minister of Health on March 28th. They discussed the difficulties encountered in our department concerning the care of young people in child psychiatry. Mr Favenec is also part of a 50-strong group of deputies from all parties working on a draft bill to combat “medical deserts” in France. Like many other countries, France faces a shortage of medical professionals in rural areas. This issue is particularly acute in France, where nearly one-third of the population lives in rural regions, but only 10% of the country’s doctors practice there.