PARIS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The French government, which has already pledged 824 million euros (907.1 million U.S. dollars) to end the strike by the country's emergency medical staff, has no plan to table additional proposals after emergency room (ER) workers decided to continue their social movement, a government official said on Wednesday.
"To end a crisis, as for tango, you have to be two," said government spokesperson Sibeth Ndiaye.
"At this stage, we do not envisage any additional measures. ... Beyond the financial question, there is also a question of organization. ... If we continue to have an unrestrained rise in the number of people who go to the emergency room, the system can not support the load and can never bear it," she added.
On Monday, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn pledged 754 million euros to be released between 2019 and 2022 to finance 12 measures, among them a 24-hour consultation service to be set up by 2020 to guide patients to the most appropriate services. Other measures include the creation of 50 new out-of-hours clinics to relieve emergency staff.
In June, the French government unveiled a 70-million-euro aid package for ER staff. That funding was intended to provide risk bonuses and help hospitals recruit extra paramedical staff during the holiday season.
Unimpressed ER workers decided on Tuesday to continue their social action, demanding higher wages and more beds in hospitals.
French emergency service workers have protesting since March after an attack on their staff at a Paris hospital.
The strike is largely symbolic because under the law emergency room staff in France cannot stop work. They continue to treat patients while posting protest signs in emergency rooms and wearing slogans on their uniforms. Enditem
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