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Health is undoubtedly one of the issues of greatest concern to the people of Saint-Barthélemy. Or, more precisely, access to healthcare. Particularly when it comes to specialist consultations and medical follow-up. Despite its countless assets, Saint-Barth suffers from its insularity. And its sometimes conflicting relationship with the government health authorities. Next Tuesday, November 5, a public meeting organized by the Collectivité aims to address all structural issues related to health. It will be held in the main hall of the harbor master's office in Gustavia, starting at 6 p.m.
Renovating the old or building the new?
Marie-Hélène Bernier, First Vice-President of the Territorial Council, will be joined by Eric Djamakorzian, Director of the Irénée de Bruyn Hospital, to discuss the many issues surrounding healthcare. Together, they will discuss the current hospital renovation project. They will also discuss the project initiated by Marie-Hélène Bernier to build a new healthcare facility in Saint-Jean.
To ascertain the merits of such a project, Bernier has commissioned a feasibility study from the Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP). Two specialists came to Saint-Barthélemy on several occasions to draw up their report. The report was drawn up and submitted to the Collectivité. It assesses the advantages and disadvantages of renovating the current structure, on the heights of Gustavia, as well as setting up a new facility on Saint-Jean. The latter option is justified by the difficulty of accessing the Gustavia hospital, as well as by the dilapidated state of the premises. Architects and engineers have also been invited to the meeting to address these issues. But this is not the only health issue on the island.
An urgent need for a nursing home
A year ago, almost to the day, the Collectivité inaugurated a health center on Saint-Jean. Marie-Hélène Bernier fought hard for this structure, the aim of which was to respond to an emergency in terms of access to healthcare. In this case, the possibility for many people to consult specialists without having to travel to Saint-Martin or even further afield.
Over the past year, the Maison de la Santé has more than fulfilled its mission, receiving several thousand patients and proving attractive to many specialists from the French West Indies and mainland France. What's more, it has received almost 100,000 euros in equipment donations from Femur (Fondation pour l'équipement médical d'urgence de Saint-Barthélemy). At almost the same time, the Saint-Barthélemy hospital finally appointed its own director. Not without difficulty.
Although Éric Djamakorzian was able to take up his post last May, it was only after a succession of steps had been taken by the hospital's supervisory board. The decision to withdraw from the joint management, which brought together the health establishments of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barth, made it possible to force the Regional Health Agency to appoint a director. But the celebrations were short-lived.
Silence from the ARS
Indeed, in early September, following the sudden departure of the (interim) director of Saint-Martin, Anne Calais (for reasons that remain unexplained), the ARS entrusted interim management to Éric Djamakorzian. While this is not strictly speaking a structural difficulty, but rather a cyclical one, the situation is not without its problems. For the simple reason that it puts the Saint-Barth hospital back in a situation almost identical to the one it was in before the arrival of its director. When asked on several occasions what solutions could be found in the short term to appoint a new director for Saint-Martin, ARS management told JSB that it "did not wish to respond on the subject for the time being". This refusal to provide explanations was also expressed by the ARS with regard to the 4.7 million euros allocated to Saint-Barthélemy under the Ségur de la santé program. This money is to be used to renovate the hospital, but has still not been released.
The Agence régionale de santé was equally reluctant to address the issue of the hospital's land. In fact, the hospital property belongs to the Guadeloupe General Council. Its president, Guy Losbar, has twice stated that he intends to take all necessary steps to return the land to the Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy. Yet for over two years, nothing has happened. Despite a procedure initiated by the former interim director, Anne Calais.
The management of the Irénée de Bruyn hospital and the Collectivité are also preoccupied by another issue. The absence of an ambulance service. Since Erick Ambulances left the island, the Service territorial d'incendie et de secours (Stis) has been called upon most of the time to transport patients.
This Tuesday, there will be plenty to think about and discuss. Provided the population responds to the Collectivité's invitation to take part in the debate.
