In a report presented on Tuesday, the Socialist deputy for Isère, Olivier Véran, draws up an alarming inventory of the massive use of hospitals to substitute doctors to keep the services running.
Too many and too expensive, temporary doctors are in the crosshairs of politicians! In a report published on Tuesday, the deputy Olivier Véran (PS, Isère) recalls that these health professionals cost the hospital 500 million euros every year. This is three times the amount of the deficit in this sector. And this situation poses even more problems in small structures, “where certain services would only remain open by recruiting 100% of replacements. “For this reason, this elected official, neurologist at the CHU de Grenoble makes several proposals to prevent the abuses observed in the medical interim sector. In particular, it proposes to cap the level of remuneration of a doctor on temporary assignment. But then, what is the profile of these replacement physicians?
Three specialties claimed
According to the report, there is no typical profile of the replacement hospital doctor. This may be the young person who does not seek to settle down immediately (20%), a mother (25%) a retired senior (25%). In 30% of cases, it is a temporary professional. In addition, if all medical specialties can be concerned, the three star specialties are emergency medicine, radiology, anesthesia, resuscitation, then gynecology-obstetrics and pediatrics.
Simple training but a big salary
The only condition to be fulfilled for a doctor wishing to carry out temporary missions via a company is to be registered on the roll of the Order of Physicians. No continuing education obligation, no assessment is required. Including for doctors who have stopped for a period, sometimes extended several years, all professional activity. In the end, a simple training but with a big salary at the end of the day.
On the remuneration side, the temporary doctor can earn up to 15,000 euros per month. He receives an average of 600 to 800 euros net for a working day when his titular colleague receives 260 euros, according to the report.
This represents a cost of 1370 euros inclusive of tax to the hospital, ie more than three times the normal cost of a working day for a hospital practitioner (tenured doctor).
Health risks
In many cases, these temporary doctors are recruited by word of mouth, and have a large regional network. The recruiting hospital is in fact aware of the professional skills it hires. Sometimes the establishment hires a replacement on a trial basis or relies on a recruitment company or temp agency. The only requirement is that the doctor be entered on the roll and have the right to practice.
In the end, it is difficult to determine whether the multiplication of temporary missions is accompanied by an increased risk for the sick. What is certain according to Olivier Veran, “is that the doctor ignores all or almost all of the procedures specific to each establishment, sometimes to each care unit. At a time when almost all hospitals have prescription software, this increases the risk of error. The lack of knowledge on the part of the healthcare team poses problems for both the doctor and the team, ”the report concludes.
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