This Wednesday, November 20, the government presented the “emergency plan” supposed to put an end to the movement of anger that has shaken health professionals since last March. Among the many measures put forward, an increase in the budget for the public hospital of 1.5 billion euros or even bonuses for caregivers.
Thursday, November 14, a massive strike and a demonstration brought together doctors, nurses and department heads. Emmanuel Macron then promised “strong decisions” for the hospital. This Wednesday 20, the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn and the Prime Minister Edouard Philippe therefore presented the “emergency plan” aimed at putting an end to the movement of anger which has shaken the emergencies since last March. According to them, this new plan is based on three objectives: “To rekindle the desire to get involved in the public hospital and to build a career there, to fight against bureaucracy in hospitals, to free up additional resources, immediately and in the duration.” What are its main measures?
An increase in the budget for the public hospital of 1.5 billion euros
This increase will take place over three years, according to the ministers, who promise 300 million euros from 2020. The national objective for health insurance expenditure (Ondam) will thus increase from 2.3 to 2.45% under the Social Security budget for 2020, currently under review in Parliament, the hospital Ondam going from 2.1% to 2.4%. In addition to this, 150 million euros will be dedicated each year to current investment (purchase of small equipment, light renovation work).
Bonuses for caregivers
The 40,000 or so caregivers and nurses living in Ile-de-France and earning less than €1,900 monthly will now benefit from €800 net more per year, or €66. “It is a bonus that recognizes that there is a specificity of the IDF which is added to other bonuses. Beyond this fixed amount for all salaries under €1,900, there are budgets, for example, to engage in a cooperation protocol,” said Agnès Buzyn.
From 2020, another bonus of “€100 net monthly” should also be granted to caregivers “who work with the elderly and who have acquired specific skills in geriatrics.”
The end of career should also be improved for “all caregivers” with a new “opening grade” to help them before retirement.
The “commitment” bonus, currently reserved for doctors who agree to work in the public hospital service for a certain number of years, will be extended to nursing professions under pressure, such as specialized nurses and radio manipulators (10 000 or 15,000€).
Finally, an envelope of 200 million euros will be allocated to hospitals “to reward, according to criteria that they themselves have defined, the commitment and investment of staff”. On average, this should represent an annual premium of around €300. It could concern up to 600,000 people.
The State will take over 10 billion of hospital debt over three years
The hospital’s debt amounts to 30 billion euros. Of this sum, the State intends to cover 10 billion. “My objective is not to increase the French debt but to control its level. For years, governments have considered that we could act ‘as if’ (…) We will have to look, hospital by hospital, at the conditions for taking over this debt, the pace too”, declared Edouard Philippe, according to whom hospital investment was halved while the debt doubled. “This debt takeover will allow hospitals to find the means to reinvest in order to modernize hospitals, restore the room for maneuver necessary to work in satisfactory conditions”, he hopes.
1.5 billion euros more for health insurance
“We are going to increase the health insurance budget by 1.5 billion euros. I specify that these sums come in addition to the budgetary trajectory. This increase will be proposed next week in the PLFSS (Social Security Financing Bill), announced the ministers.
Fight against medical interim
In order to “put an end to the mercenary” of the medical interim, Agnès Buzyn announced “control campaigns in the coming weeks” to ensure “compliance with the regulations” of the ceilings that she had already put in place.
A law in the first half of 2020
This “massive program” will go through a law “presented in the first half of 2020 at the same time as the public finance programming law”, concluded Edouard Philippe. In the meantime, the government will examine the situation “hospital by hospital” to work out “the conditions and circumstances” of this plan.
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