Calvi Hospital Faces ER Doctor Shortage and Staffing Crisis

Calvi Hospital Emergency Ward Faces Staff Shortages

Calvi’s local hospital is grappling with a severe medical staff shortage that threatens shift scheduling for an emergency department serving 22,000 year-round residents and up to 80,000 people during peak tourist seasons. Interim emergency services head Sébastien Dominici stated that filling monthly rosters has become impossible despite stability in staffing levels since 2014.

For November, five 24-hour shifts and fifteen daytime shifts requiring reinforcements lacked assigned physicians during the initial planning phase. Dominici noted that while temporary replacements filled some gaps, the recruitment process remains strained.

Short-Staffing Strains Shift Rosters and Balagne Facility

The staffing deficit stems from departures, absences, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the facility’s secondary medical line known as the “circuit court.” Established in 2020 to offset a shortage of general practitioners in Balagne, this secondary track handles less severe cases without pulling doctors away from primary emergency duties. Dominici reported that the setup reduced wait times and improved working conditions while patient volumes fluctuated from roughly 30 daily visits in the winter to 80 in the summer.

Discussions regarding a potential shutdown of the circuit court to cut costs sparked friction last year, prompting two practitioners to leave and others to reduce their working hours. Hospital director Danielle Bourcelet confirmed that the facility operates with 5.5 full-time equivalent positions instead of the required 8.5. Bourcelet stated that two practitioners are currently missing, a third is scheduled to return shortly, and recruitment efforts including temporary staff hires are underway to protect core emergency intake.

Rist Law Limits Temporary Medical Recruitment

Recruitment challenges persist across Corsica following the implementation of the Rist law, which caps temporary medical pay and includes travel expenses within authorized limits. Dominici argued that these regulations make it nearly impossible to attract long-term temporary replacements to the island and called for insular-specific adjustments.

Meanwhile, nursing staff voiced anxiety over the ongoing uncertainty. Karine, an emergency nurse at the facility for five years, emphasized that the team maintains strong collaboration but fears for local healthcare access. To address community concerns, the Comité santé Balagne scheduled a public general assembly for Thursday, October 29, at 5 p.m. at the Hôtel La Villa in Calvi. Jean-Pierre Pinelli invited residents to discuss the future of the emergency department alongside upcoming magnetic resonance imaging and dialysis projects.