Hospital’s medical unions, gynecologists-observes of anesthesist-rescritores, qualified on Monday as “purely electoral bill” the three-year moratorium in maternity closures approved in mid-May in the National Assembly.
“This is a purely electoral law proposal” that aims to maintain small “local maternal” at the expense of the quality and safety of care, “write the hospital unions of the anesthetists-resuscitators (SNPHARE), gynecologists-obstricians (Syngof), pediatricians (SNPEH), Samu-arguments of France (Sudf).
These health players protest “against such a way of addressing perinatality” without “any consultation with interested professionals.”
Neonatal risks
The representative bodies regret in particular that this moratorium covers the maternity to “less than 300 deliveries per year” that “should not exist.” Therefore, these unions remember that “several of these small maternity had to close (under) the pressure of health professionals after maternal and neonatal avoidable deaths.”
Therefore, moratorium opponents ask “interest of mothers and children to be born” the reopening “of discussions on the review of the perinatal decree, in quality safety provisions for all.”
Moratorium defenders report an increase in infant mortality (3.5 deaths for 1,000 children born live in 2011, in 4.1 in 2024, according to Insee) with the closure of maternities, which leads to an elongation of travel times for mothers.
But, already, in the National Assembly, before the adoption of the text to a large majority in the first reading, the votes had increased against this proposal.
“A maternity unit that achieves few deliveries can offer less security, due to lack of regular practice of obstetric gestures,” said Deputy Jean-François Rousset (set for the Republic).
Source: BFM TV
