French surgeons argue that they deserve
better |
More
than 300 French surgeons are returning home after a "successful"
three days of symbolic exile at a holiday camp in the UK.
The group, called Surgeons of France, turned up at Pontins
seaside resort, in Camber Sands, East Sussex, on Tuesday.
They went abroad for their protest over working conditions in
order to avoid a French law that allows police to force striking
people back to work.
The surgeons were due to be going home on Thursday night and
Friday morning.
They had chartered a special Eurostar train to bring them into
the UK via the Channel Tunnel.
Extra funds
The protest was aimed at putting pressure on the French
government to act over a compensation package its health chiefs
agreed in 2004, but which the surgeons say has never been
implemented.
Surgeons of France claims to represent 16,000 doctors in private
practice in the country.
The group says the government promised extra funds for the
private sector, after doctors complained about not being able to
charge higher fees while insurance rates soared because of an
explosion in lawsuits.
The surgeons did some sightseeing in the town
of Rye |
Vascular surgeon Dr Jean-Luc Moreau, based in the Alps near
Geneva, said: "We reached a nine-point agreement with the French
government last year which covered issues such as wage rises and
night duties payments, but it has not been signed.
"We hope that we will know if it will be signed by the beginning
of June." Government spokesman, Jean-Francois Cope, said when the
surgeons left for the English south coast that the agreement would
be kept.
Dr Moreau said the British interest in the protest had probably
helped their cause.
"We do not know yet exactly how successful it has been but we
have had lots of interviews with the British media, and some French,
which we hope will put pressure on our government."
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