The Minister of Health at the heart of Sainte-Musse emergency department

Indeed, Sainte Musse hospital in Toulon, an establishment of the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon - La Seyne-sur- Mer, welcomed Yannick Neuder, Minister of Health and Access to Care. This visit provided an opportunity for discussions with teams and patients within the current context of the internal mobilization plan underway at CHI Toulon-La Seyne-sur-Mer and Centre Hospitalier d'Hyères. It was also an opportunity to highlight the hospital's scheduled and unscheduled care services, as well as current and future projects, particularly regarding real estate investment. The minister sent a strong message of support and recognition, praising the daily commitment of the entire hospital community to serving patients.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

During his visit, the minister toured the various emergency services of the establishment, which had triggered its "plan blanc" (white plan) on July 8. This plan made it possible to consolidate staff reinforcements, streamline discharges, and modify the organization of reception conditions. This was made possible with the opening of a "plan blanc" room set up to receive emergency patients waiting for transfer or hospitalization. At the SAMU regulation center, located within Sainte-Musse hospital, Yannick Neuder observed the increased workload of the service, particularly because SOS médecins was closed throughout Var that day. "At the same time, doctors no longer make house calls. However, we have an aging population that cannot always travel to the clinic, and consequently, they call us," explained a SAMU doctor. Indeed, the hospital is experiencing a higher volume of calls than usual: "This is observed in Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, and Hyères, with an increase in the number of calls to the SAMU, and nearby emergency services operating in degraded mode – notably those of the Sainte-Anne military hospital," explained Yann Le Bras, director of the Centre hospitalier intercommunal Toulon - La Seyne (CHITS) and the Centre hospitalier d’Hyères. In this regard, the hospital is going to expand the premises dedicated to emergency services. "Thus, the SAMU regulation center and the Service d’accès aux soins (SAS) will be expanded by late 2026-early 2027, increasing from 29 to 41 stations and from an area of 138 to 196 m2," detailed Dr Catherine Velly, head of the Sainte-Musse emergency department (adult emergency, SAMU, SMUR, Centre 15). Finally, during this visit, the minister addressed the announcements made by François Bayrou regarding the 2026 budget and the 5 billion euros in savings requested from the health sector.