The government wants to sign the end of “mercenary interim” among doctors, while trying to avoid a strike by those concerned and closures of services all over France. Also, the Minister of Health, François Braun, announced an increase of nearly 20% of the maximum salary of interim doctors at the public hospital. An announcement conditioned, from April 3, on the fact that the remuneration ceiling for temporary workers is strictly respected and can no longer be exceeded. A decision supported by the French Hospital Federation.
The government no longer wants what it calls “mercenary interim”, where some practitioners raise the stakes way beyond the ceiling. “When doctors demand 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 euros for 24 hours, this jeopardizes the continuity of care (and) the financial security of the establishment”, declared on March 14 to the Assembly the door- word of the government, Olivier Véran. The government and the FHF estimate that medical interim represents an additional cost of 1.5 billion euros each year for public finances.
To pass the pill, the government has therefore decided to increase the remuneration ceiling by 20%, which will go from 1,170 euros gross for 24 hours to 1,390 euros. This is an “upgrade compared to the upgrades that have taken place for hospital doctors” since 2016, when the amount of 1,170 euros was set, the ministry said.
The executive is playing big in this affair, because all over France, hospitals, especially in medium-sized cities, have already warned that they risk closing services more or less temporarily, for lack of being able to recruit temporary workers. demanding more than the ceiling. Closures could include key services such as emergency rooms or operating theatres.
In an attempt to loosen the grip a little more on hospitals in need of practitioners, François Braun also announced on Monday the revaluation of the “territorial solidarity bonus”, which remunerates hospital doctors who agree to lend a hand in hospitals in their area. It is “a practitioner in a hospital who, in addition to his usual work, agrees to help another hospital, in difficulty”, in specialties in tension such as emergencies, radiology or pediatrics, explained the Minister in Alencon.
The revaluation of the premium will be decided locally by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS). But the hospital doctor who came as reinforcement could receive “up to 2,200 euros gross” if he comes to work 24 hours on weekends, and “1,700 euros gross” if he comes to work 24 hours during the week, said Francois Brown.
