Cardiologist Emad Loucif from the Emile-Borel hospital in Saint-Affrique has handed in his letter of resignation

Le docteur Emad Loucif, 54 ans, est cardiologue au centre hospitalier Émile-Borel depuis dix-sept ans. MIDI LIBRE – J.M COGNOT

The reasons, according to him, concern the impasse in which the medical profession finds itself. As well as recent remarks made by the mayor of Saint-Affrique calling him into question and the denigration of medical staff by the administration.

Doctor Emad Loucif, 54, has been a cardiologist at the Émile-Borel hospital center for seventeen years. He was also president of the Health Cooperation Group (GCS). On December 19, he handed in his resignation from the GCS to Benoît Durand, interim director of the Millau and Saint-Affrique hospitals, as well as to the new president of the medical establishment committee (CME) unanimously elected that same day, namely Doctor Nassreddine El Aoufi, head of the medical department.

What does the GCS consist of??

This is a formula proposed by the administration in 2008 allowing liberals to practice within the hospital in return for a fee and conventional pricing in sector 1. Until 2023, the GCS has never been in deficit, but rather in surplus for the benefit of the Émile Borel hospital center. It is thanks to the GCS that we have a range of care in gastroenterology, ophthalmology, neurology, ENT and cardiology.

Why are you resigning?

I am resigning due to the impasse in which the entire medical staff of the hospital finds itself today: elimination of an emergency line, closure of the medical department located on the ground floor with thirty beds, a first in thirty-five years at the hospital. There is also the departure of many practitioners. Since 2018, I have not stopped drawing the attention of all stakeholders, administration, doctors, elected officials, to denounce the precariousness and the decline in the attractiveness of our hospital. Since September 2024, we have moved on to denigration of medical staff, including on social networks, by the hospital administration.

What did the elected officials tell you??

I have had a lot of feedback. The most striking was that of our mayor who, in the middle of a community council meeting, in response to the question of my possible departure, replied: “I, to date, have not received a letter of resignation on its liberal aspect […]. I would simply say that if it is a question of brandishing a threat of resignation to obtain something personally, I think that it is not necessarily a win-win situation. And I say this in polite and hushed words.” Mentioning possible personal interests is serious and defamatory. If the mayor is able to prove it, I will apologize in public. It is the comments made by the mayor that have left me with little choice but to leave. If the director accepts my resignation, I will leave on April 1, 2025. If he does not accept it, he can extend the notice period to six months. In any case, my consultations are already set for April 1st.

Is your decision irrevocable?

Apart from a public apology from the mayor, I don't see what could make me change my mind.

Health coverage in South Aveyron

“If nothing changes, there will no longer be a cardiologist in Saint-Affrique. In Millau, there are four cardiologists in town. One will retire on December 31, 2024. A second has reduced his activity by half in the last few months. There will remain two full-time cardiologists and one part-time, knowing that to my knowledge they will no longer take on new patients. In the Millau hospital, there is one and a half cardiologists. In Villefranche-de-Rouergue, there is no longer a cardiologist on site. It is the Rodez hospital center that provides advanced consultations. In Lodève, the cardiologist has planned his retirement on December 31, 2024. In Albi, there would be only one practice in town."

How do you analyze the current mistrust between doctors and caregivers on the one hand and management on the other hand?

I feel like it is at an impasse. All parties have an interest in getting back around the table to save the healthcare provision in the interest of users.

What is the objective of the hospital management??

I could be wrong. But I think the main objective is to avoid waste, something I agree with. But when I see the recruitment of nine deputy directors in a few months and the departure of the medical doctor and the SMR doctor, as well as four part-time emergency physicians, I wonder about the cost that the reduction in the healthcare provision will generate due to the poor quality of patient care in relation to the closure of thirty-four beds and the maintenance of a single emergency line instead of the two existing ones. Even if the ARS does not want the Saint-Affrique hospital to close, I fear that we are moving towards it slowly but surely.
 

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