Editorial photo #8366588 Social Issue

ICU Health Workers Protest Against The Lack Of Funding And Workers

A nurse auxiliary holds a placard reading 'We are the 'little' staff, prouds of our job, who costs nearly nothing but essentials to a working service'. Doctors, nurses, nursing auxiliaries protested against the lack of means for public hospitals as the number of beds are still cut. The Macron's government has cut 5.700 beds in public hospitals only in 2021. 80% of the health workers of the urgency services of Toulouse (part of the University Hospital Purpan) are on strike as some nurses, nurses assitants or even physicians quit the service. They also protest as every part of public health services in France suffer from a lack of money and people. Since several years, personnel working in public hospitals demand more means and more people. The lack of health workers, beds, money and the Covid-19 pandemic has put french public hospitals at saturation point. They denounce a reduction of people in emergencies services in public hospitals and demand 10 000 nurses more. More than 120 emergencies services are closed the night due to a lack of staff. For example, in toulouse, a physician working in a hospital has more then 90 patients to take care of. Toulouse. France. June 7th 2022. (Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto)