INTERVIEW – The suicide of a nurse at the Georges-Pompidou hospital raises the issue of working conditions in this establishment marked by a recent similar event.
On December 17, 2015, Prof. Jean-Louis Mégnien, cardiologist at the George Pompidou European Hospital, cleared the seventh floor of his workplace. The investigation suggests that the doctor was the victim of harassment, and points to problems of direction and management of the teams, confirming the testimonies of his relatives.
A little over a year later, the news is repeating itself sadly. A nurse at the hospital ended his life under similar conditions by defenestration at the hospital site. The “Mégnien affair” had revealed a form of institutional mistreatment in the hospital and precipitated the implementation of measures to reduce psychosocial risks in establishments. This new suicide raises the question of the effectiveness of these measures. Prof. Philippe Halimi, head of the radiology department at HEGP and president of the Jean-Louis Mégnien Association, looks back on this new tragedy that is shaking the Parisian hospital.
Are there any indications that this suicide is linked to the working conditions at the HEGP?
Prof. Philippe Halimi: He is still difficult to answer this question. What we do know is that this nurse committed suicide at his workplace. He must have been off duty but he came all the same that night, he got dressed, put on his gown, his pants, his blouse, he was in the relaxation room a few minutes before going up to the eighth floor, to from which, after having unscrewed the security of a window, he threw himself.
A probably external investigation will be carried out – that was one of the unions’ requests – with an audit carried out by a company. For now, what emerges is that there has been no alert from his colleagues or management vis-à-vis a possible suffering that he could have. to feel. We know that the ambient context is very difficult for hospital and paramedical staff, in particular nurses. The unions have already been denouncing working conditions for several months which are causing staff to be in great suffering. From there to establishing a cause and effect link, we cannot do it, but the fact that he committed suicide from his workplace disturbs everyone of course.
Find the full interview with Prof. Philippe Halimi:
These working conditions have been denounced on several occasions, including outside the HEGP …
Prof. Philippe Halimi: Yes, but they are particularly harsh at HEGP. At the level of the association, we have been denouncing the governance of this hospital for several months. There is a climate with very divisive management and extremely severe measures in terms of job restrictions, which are very badly experienced by the nursing staff.
The unions have been denouncing for some time the staff restrictions which affect all services in all directions, and which also concerns the internal medicine service where the deceased nurse often worked. However, we do not have enough elements to analyze in detail the reasons for his action.
Are the measures put in place the day after Professor Mégnien’s suicide cosmetic?
Prof. Philippe Halimi: What is certain is that the headquarters of the AP-HP took the measure of what had happened with the suicide of Jean-Mouis Mégnien, but as always, we see a certain number of suicides, then a commission analyzes these suicides, an extraordinary CHSCT (health, safety and working conditions committee) headquarters is organized, but, unfortunately, the suicides of nursing staff continue.
The Minister of Health has taken measures, the first being to create a national mediation with a mediator, Edouard Couty, who plans to constitute a pool of regional mediators and who will probably be at the origin of an observatory on the risks psychosocial in hospitals, not only for doctors but also for all nursing staff. We are therefore settling in over time, with mediations which will be, we hope, contradictory, transparent, rapid, honest and which would make it possible to avoid the chronicization of these cases of harassment and mistreatment, some of which unfortunately lead to suicides. .
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