The government promised on Monday reinforcements to the Caen University Hospital where emergency services are forced to operate without interns, due to a lack of experienced doctors to supervise them, a situation deemed "dramatic" by the CGT.
Emergency room internships have been suspended, but "the department continues to provide care for patients 24/7," the hospital management stated, emphasizing that it was organizing "medical reinforcements from other departments within the university hospital and from outside."
The situation is alarming the unions, however, as discussions in the National Assembly on the Social Security budget raise fears of further cuts in health spending.
At the emergency department of the Caen University Hospital, "there will be no more interns for six months," lamented Déborah Le Lièvre, CGT general secretary of the institution, to AFP. "This is a dramatic situation due to the lack of resources provided by the public authorities," she denounced.
According to Ms. Le Lièvre, the emergency department at the university hospital usually has "around forty" healthcare workers, compared to "only about fifteen today." While the situation has been deteriorating for several years, the draft social security financing bill (PLFSS) for 2026 "will further reduce this budget," she noted.
The management of the establishment did not allow the media access to the service on Monday.
When questioned on BFMTV, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist promised reinforcements to Caen.
– “Fear of speaking” –
"I have mobilized the health reserve so that additional doctors can arrive," she announced, promising that the emergency department of the university hospital will operate even "without an intern" and continue to receive patients.
"There are 612 emergency services in our country and we are very vigilant to ensure that they function properly," she stated.
However, the problems are not unique to the Caen hospital, denounced Mélanie Debarreix, president of the National Union of Interns (ISNI). "It's the same everywhere in France: interns are afraid to speak out, for fear of repercussions," she explained to AFP.
The emergency department at Toulouse University Hospital has reduced its capacity this Monday, and will do so at least until the end of December, due to insufficient staffing. Hospital management announced a "temporary reorganization of adult emergency services" for November and December, with activity "refocused" on "the care of patients requiring hospitalization or inpatient treatment."
In Caen, the health of the interns was at stake. The supervision conditions "were not satisfactory, there were complaints and some were experiencing emotional overload," according to the ISNI.
The dean of the UFR Health at Caen, Paul-Ursmar Milliez, told AFP that he had "requested the suspension of accreditation following a legitimate report in early September."
According to him, lifting this suspension will require a new, "convincing" educational plan by May 2026. Among the measures requested is one senior supervisor for every resident, whereas currently there is one supervisor for every two residents. He estimates that this will require "hiring 15 senior supervisors."
"The issue is not financial but that of medical resources," stressed François Mengin-Lecreulx, Director General of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Normandy, because "there are not enough emergency physicians" in France.
For the moment, the ARS and the hospital management have drawn on the establishment's "resources" with doctors from other departments, "territorial solidarity" with reinforcements from other hospitals and reinforced emergency regulation, he specified.
The way out of this "very serious" crisis, according to Mr. Mengin-Lecreulx, involves "inter-institutional pooling" while waiting for 2026 and the arrival of more new doctors thanks to the relaxation of the numerus clausus.
English 
French