It was desired by the Minister of Health as one of the solutions to the crisis. But health professionals are struggling to agree on a single emergency number.
This is the symbolic figure of the crisis in emergency services which has been going on since mid-March: every year, hospital attendance increases by 5%. While this increase in attendance raises the question of working conditions and the quality of the care offered, it also raises questions about the need for a single emergency number in order to better direct requests.
On France Inter on Monday August 26, the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Agnès Buzyn, implied the possibility of creating a single emergency number, by comparing the French situation with those of other European countries. She mentioned in particular the case of Denmark and Holland, where “you never go to the emergency room on your own two feet, you have to call to find out if there is not another way to access care. .”
A campaign idea by Emmanuel Macron
The establishment of a single emergency number was part of candidate Emmanuel Macron’s program. Since then, this idea has come up regularly in the Minister’s announcements. The report of the deputy of Charente Thomas Mesnier, also rapporteur of the health law voted in March by the Assembly, also evoked the creation of a number allowing to centralize all the calls concerning health.
Today, there are no less than 13 emergency numbers, including 112, the European number, 18 for the fire brigade, 15 for the SAMU and 17 for the police. 15 is the most used number and operators are often overwhelmed by the number of calls.
Salient argument: according to the expressit is estimated that, in more than 30% of cases, the call consisted only of a request for information or medical advice!
A difficult consensus
Even if all health professionals agree on the need for a single emergency number, it remains to be seen which one. Keep the 15 which is used the most? Take the number of the fire department? Or relaunch the promotion of the number 116 117 to contact general practitioners?
116 117 was created in April 2017, under François Hollande, to relieve congestion on 15. This number allows you to be put in touch with a doctor on call at night or on weekends in order to relieve emergencies. But he remains unknown to the French.
