Small hospitals to stop operations

Health Ministry selects 54 hospitals, mostly rural, that could have operating theatres closed due to lack of patients

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MORE than 50 hospitals around France could have their operating theatres and maternity wards closed because they do not treat enough patients.

According to the Journal du Dimanche, the Health Ministry has selected 54 hospitals that carry out fewer than 1,500 operations a year and given them three years to improve their performance or form partnerships with other nearby hospitals.

The quietest, in Ruffec in the Charente, treated just 600 people last year. Others on the list include the Centre Hospitalière Jean Leclaire in Sarlat, Dordogne, and three in Finistère: Paimpol, Douarnenez and Carhaix. See the full list here.

The Fédération Hospitalière de France says closing the smaller hospitals' operating theatres would improve patient safety.

It says that surgeons who carry out few operations are less alert and do not necessarily have all of the equipment and staff that they need. The quieter hospitals also have difficulty attracting young graduates to replace those who retire.

FHF president Jean Leonetti said each closure would be examined on a "case-by-case" basis.

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