More than a week after the assault on a general practitioner in Dunkirk, anger is still palpable within the profession and among patients.
The assault on Dr Pierre Goidin, a general practitioner in Dunkirk (North), moved Internet users. A petition of support launched by his colleagues gathered nearly 12,000 signatures in less than a week.
The 56-year-old general practitioner was violently assaulted in front of his office in late April by a group of teenagers aged 13 to 15. And despite his broken tibia, Dr. Goidin resumed his consultations. “I had no choice, it’s the first time in 25 years that I haven’t found a replacement. They are afraid, they will not come anymore, ”he lamented.
Solidarity momentum
On the petition site, thousands of doctors but also patients of the Dunkirk doctor have left supportive comments. “Because being myself a general practitioner and having suffered attacks in the firm, I stand in solidarity with my colleague. It is time for the public authorities to realize the reality on the ground, ”writes Marie-Eve de Launaguet.
“We have chosen this profession to help and not to assault, see even kill,” said Fatiha d’Evreux. “To defend our profession and our colleague from the Hauts de France”, signs Jacques de Croix.
For these practitioners, Dr Goidin’s violent assault echoes their experience. Many no longer feel safe in their practice and complain of a deterioration in the relationship with their patients. These feelings are unfortunately confirmed by the annual reports of the Observatory for the Safety of Physicians.
In 2016, 968 incidents were declared to the National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM). This is the highest number of declarations since the creation of the Observatory in 2003.
Strong feeling of abandonment
Contacted by Why actor, the general practitioner from Dunkirk deplores the political silence, in particular of the teams of presidential candidates. “Nobody reacted. It would have been an emergency doctor, we would have heard reactions from politicians. This is proof that the aggression of a general practitioner has become a trivial act. You can die with your mouth open, nobody cares, ”he said indignantly.
And it is precisely this anger which pushed the CSMF of the North of France, first union of liberal doctors, to launch this petition. “Will we have to wait for a more important tragedy for the authorities to start protecting our colleague?” This petition pursues a first goal, to support our colleague, and a second, to support his legitimate request to be secure, ”explain the petitioners.
For Dr. Goidin, it is also about the safety of his patients. When he was harassed by his attackers, it was they who intervened.
.
