Every day, testimony from a frontline player in the face of Covid.
Sébastien Leroux is an emergency doctor at the Via Domitia clinic. For 5 years, he has been part of the team of 42 caregivers (nurses, nursing assistants, doctors in partnership with the Parc clinic in Montpellier) who have to manage some 25,000 visits per year, with a major summer peak. How is this doctor doing after such an intense and unexpected year?
“ Today, of course, we are tired, especially because of this second wave. During the first, we knew that we were leaving for a limited time and we had fewer visits to the emergency room. The watchword was “Stay home” so we didn’t see a lot of people. We mainly had very heavy patients with logistics to manage. There, we feel a slightly different state of mind. We have more staff affected, more patients to manage too. “
“We were starting from something unknown”
On this unforeseen pandemic, Sébastien Leroux insists: “What was exciting at first was that we started from something unknown and we had to adapt according to the advancement of knowledge.”
A situation which, from a medical point of view, was nevertheless special: “We had patients with symptoms and we wondered each time whether it was the Covid or not. Then, little by little, we were able to recognize and gradually organize ourselves.”
It also reflects apprehension about the situation in the most affected regions: “Before having this wave, we had the return of emergency physicians from the north who told horrible things, the choice of patients … We said to ourselves, if it falls on us, it will be complicated. Finally, the fact that there is has had a delay has allowed us to organize ourselves, to free up a lot of space. “
“Just done our job”
Positive, the emergency physician emphasizes mutual aid, the sharing of information and the involvement of all: “Even those who were not on the front line felt involved and there was a cohesion and a permanent exchange between the different hospital structures and patient transfers. And that happened naturally.”
Regarding the highlighting of the health sector by this crisis, Sébastien Leroux comments: “It took this virus to put health at the heart of the system. The population realized the importance of the health service and of the personnel. It made it possible to revalue this work.”
Does he see himself as a hero? “I just did my job as firefighters, law enforcement … all those who were essential”, he says.
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