Sunday 7 April 2013

The trouble with French hospitals

Paris, with the fastest growing urban area in the world since WWII, apparently, and no room for new buildings, has not got enough beds to host its ill.

Hopital du dieu where I ended up in Xmas 2011 for my eye infection is receiving standing patients only in one section of its  building, including people with heart and pulmonary problems. This is to avoid the chronic problem in the rest of the building, which one article refers to as 'musical chairs'.


In March, the news was flooded with the horrific story of a pregnant woman who'd been turned away when in labour as there wasn't any room, and ended up with a still birth the morning after.

Last year, when I had septicaemia, a kidney infection and was losing essential % of my fragile kidney function forever by the hour, I still couldn't get a bed. It took me lying on a bench in the kidney area in hospital, and then lying on a bench in a semi-coma in the A&E waiting line for someone to finally give me a drip.

At Christmas when I got the unavoidable noro-virus, I again headed off warily to A&E for my regular revival drip, and was not surprised to wait almost 8 hours in total before they gave me one. People with sprained ankles went before me. I'm sure some hypochondriac made it in there with a snivvly nose as well. Meanwhile, my kidney was likely feeling like a junkie, and looking more and more like a slab of paté by the hour.

I now have a signed certificate from my doctor to hand over at A&E telling them that I only have one kidney (or part of one) and need fast treatment to avoid total kidney failure. While I feel comfort having this printed and slotted into my purse, I know it will mean nothing as I show it to some disgruntled receptionist when the time comes. I know I will not be strong enough without a husband/ brother/friend there to fight the battle of the front desk on my behalf. And I am scared it will not end up so pretty.

I'm not the only one. Imagine having a heart attack and being told there are no chairs but you have to stand in line with the others as at the Hopital du Dieu. I know it's an election issue, too.In January, Hollande visited a hospital: "to know what to do, I have to understand how it works", he said. Thing is, I don't think it's all that complicated: Sick person - needs to lie down - needs bed.