The Health service in crisis
Having spent nearly two months visiting the hospital in Albi, I have seen how stretched services are. Nurses have badges saying “ although we are working we are on strike”
Locally our Maison de Sante in Varen has lost a Doctor who has moved to a practice nearer her home Albi way. Dr Bouvier who we have seen for nearly 18 years left a week ago.
Dr Grazon retires in 2 months time leaving the centre with one Doctor.
We have been told if Malc is home at weekends and there is a crisis to phone 15 as it is very likely there may not be a local Doctor on call.
It is hard to encourage young Doctors to come and get trapped in the countryside even when a fully furnished house
Is offered.
For physiotherapy there is a notice saying there is a 3 month waiting list.
Something seemingly has to give and I do not know what the answer is but these are worrying developments if one has health issues.
As an aside, Malc is recovering well from the stroke and has started an extensive course of chemotherapy.
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Ginny Jenkins writes
Ginny Jenkins writes
Sadly I think that the cause of this crisis is something we Brits have never understood. GPs are paid about a third of what they are paid in the UK and so very few are being attracted into the profession. They say that the situation will only get worse as so many of them will be retiring soon. Nurses are paid less in the private sector but have better conditions of employment. A nurse I met in Toulouse Lautrec said she was paid half of what she got as a district nurse for working there but she had to buy her way into the cabinet. Oh dear.
