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"There is no project submitted by Mr. Djamakorzian who, for the moment, is sending out more grant applications than projects. "This sentence, uttered by the President of the Collectivité, Xavier Lédée, at the Territorial Council meeting on Thursday March 27, sent Éric Djamakorzian, Director of the Irénée de Bruyn Hospital, into a tizzy. Challenged by President Lédée during a debate on the lack of progress in the reconstruction of the hospital, the director immediately responded. Or rather, in this case, to retort.
At the end of January, Éric Djamakorzian presented the "projet d'établissement" for the Bruyn hospital at the Gustavia harbor master's office. A 38-page strategic document covering the period from 2025 to 2030, its aim is to set out steps towards modernizing the hospital in order to meet the needs of staff and the population. In his speech, the Director declared: "Rebuilding our hospital is not an option, it's a requirement. It's imperative if we are to guarantee our hospital a future worthy of its potential, its history and its crucial role in public health. I understand that this type of decision requires in-depth reflection, feasibility studies and heavy financial choices, but it is urgent to take this step. The implementation of a clear roadmap, accompanied by strong political decisions, will enable our institution to project itself serenely into the future. "So when Eric Djamakorzian heard President Lédée's words, his blood ran cold.
"I don't work like that
I was particularly surprised by the president's comments," explains the director. The Excel spreadsheet he's referring to is the one his departments asked me to produce three weeks ago. With two hypotheses: reconstruction or rehabilitation on Gustavia. As far as I'm concerned, I've just rebuilt three hospitals. So I'm keen to learn more about the Collectivité's expertise in this area, since I'm obviously going about things the wrong way. "For the director, the current situation can be summed up in a few words: "It's as if someone wanted to build a house, but didn't know where, because by the way, I've never been notified of the Collectivité's choice. (between renovating or rebuilding the existing Gustavia facility or building a new hospital on Saint-Jean, editor's note). So we don't know where to build this house, and on top of that, the bank tells you it's lending you 50,000 euros, adding that we'll "see later". Personally, I don't work like that. I need to be clear about what I'm doing. As long as I don't have a clear subsidy amount and a precise location of where I need to build, I won't embark on a risky operation. The current uncertainties surrounding the terms and funding do not allow this. "
For the record, Eric Djamakorzian has been director of several major hospitals for over thirty years, and has also served as sub-prefect, chief of staff of a major university and deputy general manager of Nice Métropole.
Where and for how much?
For the director of the de Bruyn hospital, the way forward is clear. First of all, it is necessary to determine where the project should be carried out. This is a question that has polluted the project for over seven years, not least because of the grey areas surrounding the ownership of the land on which the current hospital and Ehpad are built. It's out of my hands," assures Éric Djamakorzian. As soon as the local authorities and the ARS (Agence régionale de santé) agree, we'll build where we're told. "Mediation between the hospital and the Department of Guadeloupe is underway to determine who owns the land.
The second step is financing. If we have thirty million euros or five million, we're not building the same thing and we don't have the same ambitions," explains the director. So we need a financing plan. I submitted two hypotheses to the local authorities. We could just refurbish the Gustavia buildings, with 4.7 million euros from the State, 4.7 million from the Collectivité and one million from self-financing. Alternatively, we could go even further and build a hospital. In this case, 4.7 million from the State, 18.2 million from the local authorities and one million from self-financing. That's 24 million, enough to rebuild something decent. "But the elected representatives still need to make a decision.
Collateral damage
At the Territorial Council meeting on March 27, it was explained that the elected representatives had met on February 18 to discuss the issue of rebuilding the hospital. At the end of the discussions, the majority decided to rebuild in Gustavia. However, as the director confirms, no official document from the local authority has yet confirmed this orientation and turned it into a firm decision. I will not jeopardize the hospital's finances in a risky operation", Éric Djamakorzian repeats. I'm the guarantor of the hospital's financial integrity, but also of the conditions in which patients are received and care providers work. Whatever happens, the quality and safety of care will continue to be guaranteed, because that's our pride as hospital workers. "
The more the months go by, the more it seems that the inertia surrounding the hospital's reconstruction is a consequence of the infighting that plagues its governance. A sort of collateral damage, in short.
