Against all expectations, Vincent Lambert’s doctors decided to keep him alive and to refer to their supervisory authority, the Ministry of Health, as to the follow-up to be given to the case.
It’s a thunderclap that has just fallen on the Reims University Hospital. Against all expectations, the doctors in charge of Vincent Lambert did not finally pronounce, this Thursday, July 23, on whether or not to stop the treatments provided to this patient, in an irreversible vegetative state for more than seven years. The establishment announced at the beginning of the afternoon that it was suspending the collegial procedure put in place on July 8 to rule on its situation. This is a victory for the parents of the patient who wanted to see their son kept alive at the end of this family council.
An appeal to the Prosecutor to restore security
In a press release, the University Hospital of Reims explains that “the conditions of serenity and security necessary for the continuation of the procedure are not met”. He therefore pleads for the reestablishment of “a serene exchange, in the interest of Vincent Lambert and his support”.
For the rest of the events, Dr Daniela Simon (in charge of Vincent Lambert) indicated that she wanted to seize the public prosecutor so that a legal representative of the patient could be appointed. A reasoned decision after she heard about kidnapping plans for her patient.
The purpose of this request is to “put Vincent under global protection,” François Lambert, Vincent’s nephew, told Agence France Presse (AFP), in favor of stopping treatment.
The call to Marisol Touraine
More surprisingly, Daniela Simon wishes, moreover, to refer to the Ministry of Health, as to the follow-up to be given to this file. In a written statement sent to AFP, Marisol Touraine has already indicated that she “provides all her support to the healthcare team”.
In her press release, the minister writes that she thinks that the medical profession “did not take this decision because she refuses to stop the treatment of Vincent Lambert (…), but because she considers that the conditions of security and serenity necessary to implement this type of decision are not met. “
Support from the medical profession to Dr Simon
Another important support collected by the medical team of the establishment, that of Dr. Eric Kariger, the former doctor of Vincent Lambert. In a press release released at the moment, he explains “respect Dr. Simon who is doing his best in this particularly hostile context. My thoughts go out to my former team, to Vincent Lambert, his wife and the members of his family who are trying to ensure that his personality and his wishes are respected, ”he adds.
In the past, this doctor had for his part started an end-of-life protocol that he had to stop under injunction of the courts.
One more drama for the wife of Vincent Lambert who has always maintained that her husband would have confided to her that, in such circumstances, he would like to die with dignity.
The same empathy with Dr Simon, as evidenced by Dr Vincent Morel, former president of the French Society for Support and Palliative Care (SFAP). Contacted by Why actor he confides: “Our colleague from Reims did not have the appropriate conditions to make the decision to start an end-of-life protocol. I support her because everyone knows very well that there is no security or serenity there ”.
The National Council of the Order of Physicians, for its part, hopes that “this request will create the conditions for a peaceful debate allowing a fair decision that is accepted by all”. In its press release, the CNOM pays tribute to the work carried out by Vincent Lambert’s medical team, “with respect for the dignity of Mr. Vincent Lambert, and this despite the sometimes violent pressures to which it is subject and which may have hindered its action ”.
“Under the rule of law, such a situation should not occur. The collegial decision of the doctors to stop the unreasonable obstinacy must be able to apply. It complies with the Leonetti Law, ”recalls Vincent Morel.
For the doctor, the Vincent Lambert case “becomes extremely complicated. Especially since day by day, tensions are increasing ”. Pessimistic about the future of this patient, he calls on the authorities “to put in place real precautionary measures” around him.
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