This Thursday, the midwives again blocked the roads. Deaf to their demands, the government sent the ARS and CHU directors a circular on their new status.
As their seventh month of strike begins, the mobilization of midwives from the Collective (1) to obtain real medical status, that of hospital practitioner, does not weaken. According to the last point they received from General Intelligence (RG), 70% of maternity hospitals were on strike on April 16. But ironically the calendar for them, on this same date, that is to say 6 months to the day after the start of their strike, the circular of April 10, 2014, relating to the implementation of the measures taken in favor of the recognition of the workers, appeared in the OJ. hospital midwives. And as expected, “the text of the Ministry of Health does not meet any of the claims! », Indicates the last joint press release of the six midwifery organizations that make up the Collective.
Nothing has changed compared to the previous 12-year-old text
In this battle, the midwives remember Tuesday March 4, the day the Minister of Health announced: “a great advance” for the profession of midwife, with “the creation of a medical status of midwife. woman in hospitals ”, and the promise of measures supposed to“ replace the midwife as a primary care practitioner in the French health system. “
For its part, the Collective of Midwives had denounced “an empty shell”, each of the points announced by the Minister as “unprecedented advances being none!” “
And, even if it does not have the value of law, the circular of Marisol Touraine shows that the Collective of midwives was unfortunately right, deplores these organizations.
For them, “the proposal is in fact only a title and not a new statute. In 2002, the circular drafted by Edouard Couty already specified the medical nature of midwives in the hospital, and asked the heads of establishment to respect it. Twelve years later, another circular repeats the same thing! », They specify.
For all these reasons, these healthcare professionals still considered to be “paramedics” believe that they have no guarantee that the 2014 circular will be more applied than the 2002 version …
No autonomy of midwives is enacted
Moreover, while in practice, during uncomplicated pregnancies, they perform all the acts performed by specialist hospital doctors, they note that the ministerial circular in no way guarantees the autonomy of midwives in setting up the units. physiological, and even less the possibility of managing them.
Consequently, “they will remain subject to the goodwill of doctors ….. as currently”, they denounce.
Finally, the ultimate provocation, the negotiations that are starting in the public hospital service for the salaries of midwives do not give any hope of “any upgrading to the level of the skills and responsibilities of midwives, their grids remaining indexed to other non-medical professions. . ”
Yet despite the defeats, midwives continue to say that they won’t give up, and that they are more determined than ever. “Even if midwives are assigned to their post, actions are being carried out in France this week and are being prepared for the weeks to come,” they conclude.
(1) ONSSF, CNSF, ANSFC, ANESF, CNEMa, CFTC social health
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