On the occasion of the presentation this Thursday of its Pact for the global health of the most vulnerable, the French Red Cross is concerned about access to care for our precarious fellow citizens.
From Saturday May 28 to Sunday June 5, the National Days of the French Red Cross will be held. This week is an opportunity for all these volunteers to meet citizens in order to make them aware of the local actions that the association has been carrying out throughout France for more than 150 years.
On this occasion, she is making public this Thursday the first installment of an annual report on the theme of health, as defined by the WHO (1), namely a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not consisting only of the absence of infirmity or disease: the “Pact for the Global Health of the Most Vulnerable”. Results that are worrying to say the least.
Health decisive for the return to autonomy
In this OpinionWay survey carried out for the French Red Cross (2), almost all French people (93%) believe that painful life events such as the loss of a loved one, a dismissal or a break-up can have repercussions on health.
In this regard, the Red Cross recalls that RSA beneficiaries (3) report that they stop seeing a doctor or receiving dental treatment more often for financial reasons: 18% say they have given up on a medical consultation in the past year and 11% among all 18-59 year olds.
And in the opposite direction, the results are identical, 76% of French people also fear one day to fall into a state of vulnerability because of a health problem. Finally, 93% again consider that health is a decisive and essential element for the return to autonomy of fragile and vulnerable people.
62% of French people renounce aid
With regard to the responses provided to these situations, 63% of those questioned consider that the means developed by health actors are not sufficiently innovative to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable people.
While they still experience difficulties in identifying the key interlocutors in case of need, a majority of French people have already had to give up assistance due to a lack of information (53%) or due to the administrative burden of procedures (52%). Likewise, a feeling of worthlessness in asking for this help (35%) and discouraging practices of health professionals (33%) slow down requests and therefore the obtaining of help.
In the end, 62% of French people have already given up on assistance for one of these reasons.
How to support the actions of the French Red Cross?
– With the volunteers met in the French streets during the National Days from May 28 to June 5, 2016
– In a few clicks on the site www.croix-rouge.fr
– By buying the special mirror key ring “Mother’s Day” from the volunteers or on the e-shop www.lesproduits.croix-rouge.fr one of the “Red Cross products”: mugs, T-shirts , soft toys, cell phone cases, UBS keys “Bob the volunteer” and “Betty the nurse” …
– By purchasing a stamp booklet “French Red Cross: wherever you need us” thanks to the historic partnership between the Post Office and the association. For the purchase of this book of stamps sold for € 7.60, € 2 will be donated to the French Red Cross.
(1) World Health Organization
(2) OpinionWay survey carried out for the French Red Cross on May 11 and 12, 2016 on a sample of 1015 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over.
(3) The RSA provides people without resources a minimum level of income that varies according to the composition of the household. It is open, under certain conditions, to people aged 25 or over and to people aged 18 to 24 if they are single parents or have a certain length of professional activity.
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