“I, a physician, declare that I will continue to provide free treatment to undocumented patients according to their needs, in accordance with the Hippocratic Oath that I have taken. » Here is the “declaration of disobedience” signed by 3,500 salaried and self-employed doctors, opposed to the abolition of state medical aid (AME) for undocumented immigrants, in an appeal sent on Saturday to Agence France-Presse ( AFP). These health professionals undertake to “disobey” and “continue to treat these patients for free” if the system were to disappear, as part of the political class wishes.
“I will remain indifferent to their social or financial conditions, as well as their language and their nationality,” promise the signatories in this text launched by two psychiatrists who are heads of department in the Henri Mondor hospitals in Créteil and the intercommunal hospital center in Créteil, Professors Antoine Pelissolo and Jean-Marc Baleyte. “Ethics prescribes the right care for each person who consults me. Wisdom denounces the ethical fault and incidentally the epidemiological error,” they continue. Before concluding: “Patients from here and elsewhere, my door is open to you. And will remain so. »
During consideration of the immigration bill this week, the Senate passed an amendment that removes AME and transforms it into “emergency medical aid.” The government did not oppose it, but the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, has since declared that he “does not want” the text to remain as it is.
“In hospitals, this is indeed disobedience”
The AME covers 100% of the health costs of foreigners present on French soil for at least three months. Its detractors accuse it of generating a “draft” for illegal immigration and of costing “too expensive”, currently 1.2 billion euros per year for 400,000 beneficiaries (3,000 euros per year per beneficiary).
“Many private doctors have signed, general practitioners or specialists. If they see an uncovered patient, they will not be paid. It’s a very strong position,” explained Professor Pelissolo. “In hospitals, this is indeed disobedience. I may not declare a consultation. In the case of hospitalization, this will be at the expense of the hospital. “It’s my decision even if it’s against the usual hospital rules,” he said.
Among the other signatories are emergency physician Patrick Pelloux, Julie Chastang, vice-president of the College of General Medicine and pediatric nephrologist Rémi Salomon. Three thousand caregivers – doctors, but also paramedical professions – had already signed an article in Le Monde last week, calling for the preservation of this “public health” system.