France is currently the only European country that has not reintegrated non-vaccinated health workers and doctors into its health services. A recent decision by the French National Authority for Health will change this in the coming weeks.
The French National Authority for Health, a public body that initiated the call for compulsory vaccination of health workers at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, has just issued an opinion in favour of reinstating the suspended health workers. The organisation considers that with more than 85% vaccination coverage in hospitals, at a time when the virus has lost its virulence and natural immunity is largely acquired by the majority of the population, the suspension is no longer justified. The measure had been requested for many weeks by deputies from La France Insoumise and the Rassemblement National.
Following the declaration, the government announced that it could now calmly consider the reinstatement of those who were suspended. Between 2,000 and 4,000 carers would be affected. The decision was welcomed with great relief in regions where mobilisation against the vaccine had been particularly strong, such as in the overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. On the other hand, some doctors take a very dim view of what they consider to be an inadmissible concession to the ‘anti-vaxxed’.
General practitioner Jérôme Marty, president of the French Union for Free Medicine and an ardent supporter of vaccination, said he was outraged by the decision of the Ministry of Health, which he accused of undermining the credibility of any future vaccination campaign: “The government should not count on us to carry out the next campaigns, they will just have to do it with the anti-vaxxed!” he exclaimed on the BFMTV channel. He also fears the ‘proselytising’ of carers who are going back to work.
The suspension of caregivers has left painful traces in the French medical profession. Some felt exploited while hospital resources were under stress, and then thrown out without gratitude. There also seemed to be unjust and nonsensical protocols: caregivers infected by the virus, but vaccinated, could work in the hospital, while they, in good health but not vaccinated, were forbidden access. Muriel, an employee at Troyes Hospital, told France 3 Regions:
I had the impression of being exploited during the Covid, when we were needed, and then of being thrown away like an old handkerchief.
For some caregivers, the suspension period led to searching for alternative employment, in the hope of earning some income, or reorientation toward an entirely different profession. For those who want to return though, the question of the conditions of reintegration arises. Some ask for compensation for the long months during which they were unable to earn their salary—or even reparations. Others are waiting for an apology from the government: “I experienced my suspension as a betrayal,” explains Martine, also a nurse in Troyes.
Consultations are planned with the Ministry of Health. No precise date for reinstatement has been yet communicated.
