French ambulances block Paris highway for second day, protesting reforms

Record ID: 1363101

  • Title: French ambulances block Paris highway for second day, protesting reforms
  • Date: 6th November 2018
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 6, 2018) (REUTERS) BLUE LIGHT FLASHING ON AMBULANCE PRIVATE AMBULANCE WORKERS STANDING ON HIGHWAY AMBULANCE BEING LIFTED UP ONTO PLATFORM RIOT POLICE ON STANDBY, AMBULANCES BLOCKING ROAD, PROTESTERS TALKING WITH POLICE VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS TALKING WITH POLICE AMBULANCES POSTER READING (French): "Our patients in danger" (SOUNDBITE) (French) AMBULANCE WORKER AND MEMBER OF THE DEFENSE OF HEALTH TRANSPORTERS GROUP (DTS), DAMIEN CHENE, SAYING: "The majority of the companies which are here today have suffered a revenue drop of 30 to 40 percent for the month of October alone, since the law came into force on October 1st. So this month has been catastrophic." POLICE AND AMBULANCES/AMBULANCE BEING TAKEN AWAY AMBULANCE ON TRUCK PLATFORM AMBULANCE WITH POSTERS WITH ANTI-REFORM SLOGANS ON WINDOW (SOUNDBITE) (French) AMBULANCE WORKER AND MEMBER OF THE DEFENSE OF HEALTH TRANSPORTERS GROUP (DTS), DAMIEN CHENE, SAYING: "Today we are fighting for our economic welfare because all the market is being taken by large and powerful groups which the state owns 70 percent of, because we're talking about companies such as SNCF (French state-owned rail network operator) and RATP (Paris Metro) who are buying up all the companies in order to take over the market and crush us all. Small companies like us, number 5,500, represent 80 percent of the ambulances in France, and we will disappear in the coming couple of years." AMBULANCE WORKER SPEAKING TO RIOT POLICE RIOT POLICE AND AMBULANCES AMBULANCES ON ROAD
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2018 10:29
  • Keywords: ambulances protest reform Macron riot police traffic highway
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • City: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00195DBMMF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dozens of ambulance vehicles blocked a Paris highway for a second day on Tuesday (November 6) to protest social security reforms that they say would compromise some ambulance companies.
    Ambulance employees demonstrated against the reforms, which went into effect on Oct. 1.
    Through Article 80 of the new law reforming the financing of the social security system, patients could no longer opt for a preferred ambulance provider. Instead, hospitals would receive individual budgets for patient transport.
    This could prompt hospitals to turn to less expensive providers, a change that would favour bigger companies and hurt smaller ones that cannot compete in a price war, some ambulance providers say.
    The protest created havoc on Paris' A4 highway.
    The changes in the ambulance options are part of a raft of reforms by French President Emmanuel Macron, which includes an overhaul of the country's highly praised but financially struggling healthcare system.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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