Abused children: deputies unanimously vote for the deployment of specialized hospital units

The deputies unanimously adopted Thursday, in committee, an article of the draft Social Security budget aimed at recognizing and widely deploying the reception units for children in danger (Uaped), which take care of child victims of violence and will see their funding sustained.

The Social Affairs Committee adopted an amendment - defended by the ecological and social group and LFI - to set precise objectives: that "each judicial court be covered by at least one pediatric reception unit for children in danger (Uaped) and that each region has at least two regional pediatric teams referring to children in danger". The government itself set these objectives, ensuring that it aims for “164 Uaped” operational in 2027, but these figures “are not indicated” in the text and “the territorial coverage remains incomplete today”, defended the ecologist Arnaud Bonnet.

When examining the draft Social Security budget in the chamber from Tuesday, the deputies will however start from the initial version written by the government. Professionals “have been waiting for years” for such recognition, welcomed Karen Erodi (LFI): these structures allow child victims to be taken care of in a multi-professional manner (doctor, psychologist, investigation services, forensic pathologist, social services, etc.), instead of having “to tell what (they have) suffered four or five times,” she recalled. For these children who are victims of violence - physical, psychological, sexual - or exposed to domestic violence, these hospital units also make it possible to structure care and avoid interruptions in their journey.

The commission also adopted an article which makes it possible, in the event of sick leave of more than one month, to hold a tripartite meeting and an exchange of information between the attending physician, the occupational physician and the health insurance medical advisor, to seek “alternative” solutions to the sick leave. The deputies also voted for the entry into common law of “territorial solidarity missions”, with specific fixed compensation for doctors who undertake to carry out a few days of consultations outside their usual place of practice, in medical deserts. The measure sparked the recurring debate on doctors' freedom of installation.

“Rather than yet another financial aid measure (...) we are fighting for real regulation of the installation,” launched socialist Sandrine Runel, who supports a transpartisan bill on the subject. Your idea, “it’s old-fashioned,” replied EPR deputy Jean-François Rousset. “Coercion” will only have one effect: “discouraging” doctors from setting up, replied the rapporteur, Thibault Bazin, calling for a “shock of attractiveness” for liberal medicine.