The field hospital set up in Mamoudzou after Cyclone Chido has closed. Designed as a temporary solution to cope with the influx of patients, it is giving way to more modest structures, while the Mayotte hospital center, still damaged, is struggling to get back to normal.
The large marquees that housed an operating theatre, a laboratory and a resuscitation service at the Cavani stadium, in the heart of Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte, were dismantled at the beginning of February. Only a few tents remain, hosting consultations by professionals from SOS Médecins.
Deployed urgently by Civil Security, the field hospital quickly became indispensable. "The objective was to relieve congestion at the Mayotte hospital center (CHM)", recalls Pascal Patte, first aider and executive of the Order of Malta, who provided "an initial filter" before entering the hospital.
With nearly 7,000 patients treated, the system has absorbed some of the pressure on the CHM. At the peak of the influx, the Escrim hospital (for "Rapid Civil Security Element for Medical Intervention") recorded up to 400 consultations and 20 surgical procedures per day.
The care centre that replaced the field hospital now receives 80 to 100 patients daily. It is planned to close at the end of February, although according to Sergio Albarello, the director general of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Mayotte, "the system could be extended until the end of March" if necessary.
Cyclone Chido, which hit the island on December 14, left 40 dead and 41 missing, according to the latest report. With gusts exceeding 200 km/h, it left Mayotte drained, damaging in particular the Mamoudzou hospital, whose images of caregivers working in flooded corridors had shocked.
– “Bringing back the caregivers” –
Even today, care remains complicated. "Patients are still sleeping in the corridors," assures Ousseni Balahachi, nurse and CFDT departmental secretary. The unionist also points out the "excessive" medical evacuations to Reunion Island, due to a lack of resources on site.
"The field hospital saved Mayotte," said a CHM nurse who wished to remain anonymous. "It prevented us from being completely overwhelmed."
Because the CHM, spread over five sites in Mayotte, including Mamoudzou, the largest and most affected by Chido, is struggling to function normally.
Roofs torn off, buildings unusable... "The cyclone has seriously degraded our working conditions. We are short of beds and places for consultations because of the damage," acknowledges its director, Jean-Mathieu Defour, who nevertheless assures that the hospital has resumed "normal activity."
This difficult context accentuates a chronic phenomenon: the lack of personnel. For years, the Mayotte hospital center has struggled to recruit doctors and nurses.
Several caregivers wanted to leave after the cyclone, out of shock or because their homes were no longer habitable. "We didn't keep them. But for the moment, we still have a lot of reinforcements from mainland France and Reunion Island," Mr. Defour emphasizes.
However, he assures us that he is looking for solutions to "bring back caregivers and keep those who are there."
"One of the main challenges is that almost all of our accommodation has suffered damage. We are considering a modular living base project to house our staff," he continues.
But this project remains to be implemented and does not respond to the current emergency, caregivers worry. "We were already in a medical desert before Chido, but now, how can we attract staff with such working conditions?" asks Ousseni Balahachi.
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