A working dinner bringing together the Minister Delegate for Health Professions, Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, and representatives of the French Society for Support and Palliative Care, Sfap, organized on Thursday 15 September. “A mine clearance dinner”, had fun, Thursday morning, a guest, not fooled by the purpose of the invitation: to wave a white flag in front of the world of care, shaken by a possible evolution of the law on the end of life.
In the upcoming debate, the voice of caregivers “must be heard”. It is, in essence, the request, almost the plea, sent by health professionals, mainly in palliative care, since the announcement of the launch of the citizens’ convention on the end of life.
“If we are to be involved in the possible changes to come, we have things to say”, soberly explains Claire Fourcade, president of the Sfap, who must be present around the table Thursday evening. Message received. This dinner will not be the last in a list of meetings between the government and caregivers.
Health professionals, part of the debate
Concretely, the involvement of the latter should go through the formation of a specific sub-working group, within a larger group placed under the aegis of Minister Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, herself a pharmacist and responsible consultation with “the stakeholders”.
This group will bring together both health personnel (in palliative care but also resuscitation, emergency medicine, etc.), all trades combined (doctors, nurses, caregivers, psychologists, etc.), as well as associations of users and patients (France Assos Santé, the Association for the right to die with dignity, among others, the list being compiled) and deputies.
The group (and its subgroups) will carry out its work in parallel with that of the citizens’ convention, whose members will be appointed by lot by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese), at the beginning of October.
Points to clarify
On the caregiver side, what will the work specifically focus on? If the ministry hopes to launch this project “democratic and participatory” before October 15, the points to be examined remain to be defined.
“If I was asked the question, I would answer that the difficulty of access to palliative care is the major subject. We have been seeing this for years, asking for better dissemination of practices. Why so little progress? », press Jean D., a palliative care doctor who has been very active on social networks in recent days.
« As palliative care is not well known, this will be an opportunity to testify to politicians and to challenge certain untruths”, he continues, while death requests sometimes find their origins in poor support and poor application of the current law, known as “Claeys-Leonetti”.
Citizens on one side. Caregivers, patients, parliamentarians from the other… Will these parallel bodies be called upon to meet and mutually enrich their reflections? Impossible to say at the moment. But it will be a question, at least, of feeding that of the government. “A rather constructive vision”, rejoices Claire Fourcade, adding: «I am of an optimistic character. »