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Bloomberg
French president Emmanuel Macron’s government unveiled an emergency funding plan for ailing hospitals in an effort to calm protests from doctors and healthcare workers as the country braces for strikes over pension reform.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the government will raise the budget for hospitals by 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) over the next three years, starting with a 300 million boost in 2020. The state will also take over 10 billion euros of debt from the hospital system, and nurses will be paid bonuses.
“We are presenting this emergency plan to respond to the anger, the exhaustion and the distress,†Philippe said at a press conference on Wednesday in Paris.
Macron and his government are facing the prospect of a resurgence of protests on numerous fronts in the coming months as the French leader tries to get his reform agenda back on track.
The Yellow Vest movement, which began a year ago, has largely subsided after Macron took measures to boost incomes, but labour unions are now organising a general strike on December 5 to protest against planned pension reforms. Some unions have said the strike could be indefinite.
Macron’s efforts to calm the unrest in hospitals are unlikely to work immediately.