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huwcasson

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  1. In addition - understanding rivalries that may exist, can anyone suggest other fora for us to post this message in? Many thanks, Huw
  2. Apologies for being slightly off topic but I hope you will appreciate the importance of this post. I APOLOGISE FOR IT'S LENGTH BUT PLEASE IF YOU CAN READ IT IN IT'S ENTIRETY. Effectively we are not allowed to do this... but if you take the time to read the whole of this message you will see that we believe that there is an ethical issue at stake here which is more important than local regulations (you may or may not chose to copy it into an email and send it on) ******************************************** I would be very grateful if you could read this email *including the very important messages at the bottom* and understand the potential importance for the anglophone community, and then pass the message on by cutting and pasting the portion below the asterisks into a new email and adding any comment you would like to make above the asterisks. Send it to anyone and everyone you think might be able to spread this message, please. We're trying to get our unique English Language Medical Practice established (the Ville Rose Medical Practice) - www.britishgp.fr - and need the help of the entire anglophone/non French-speaking community in the Midi Pyrenees to do this in a limited amount of time... about 1 month. What do we need? We want EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE MIDI PYRENEES who (a) doesn't speak French or (b) would simply prefer a medical consultation in English to be aware of us and have put our website on their internet "favourites" IN THE NEXT 3 WEEKS. No registration - no obligation - just to know about us is all we ask. What's in it for the community?... Simple - 1) We promise that if ANYONE is admitted to an intensive care environment in South West france (or has a loved one admitted) and wants to speak to a native English speaking doctor (who is also an emergency physician with experience in anaesthetics and ITU) to help explain what is happening in language they can understand, WE WILL PICK UP THE PHONE ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT FOR ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE- provided that we are in the area (i.e not on holiday elsewhere or such). 2) If, heaven forbid, anyone should be bereaved WE WILL PICK UP THE PHONE ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT FOR ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE to provide whatever assistance we can to those who need it - again subject to our being available, which is almost always the case. Why so urgent? Due to rising interest rates in the UK, and the international squeeze on credit, the banks are unwilling to lend the practice sufficient funds to allow it to have a more "organic" development. As a result, we have heard today news which effectively gives us 4 weeks to make this a success... so please, if you feel that this is a service you could benefit from, help us to contribute to the anglophone community now. Why should we help your practice? If you came out here, surely others will come to take your place? The move to Toulouse has required over 12 months of negotiating the numerous bureacratic hurdles necessary. The economic climate in healthcare in the UK and US as opposed to France means that any doctor wanting to come to work here would have to REALLY love France to make the financial sacrifice. We do. Nobody owes us anything and we are not asking for charity here. We CHOSE this wonderful country, for the same reasons as most of you... because of it's wonderful quality of life, the chaleureux Tolouse folk and its beauty and climate. If we leave, others "may" choose to take our place for the same reasons, but the bald facts are that even before GP salaries rose in the UK and their out of hours committment decreased, in the last 5 years not one native English speaking doctor has chosen to come to work in the Midi Pyrenees and, in the entire South West of France only one other doctor has made the move (to the Pyrenees Orientale). He left 2 years ago. We are in contact with another UK doctor in the East of France who is having to leave the country intermittently to work elsewhere to pay his bills. There has been one other doctor whom we are aware of who is looking at the possibility of moving here at some stage about 5 years in the future. If anyone out there knows of another Native English speaking doctor, *please* let everyone else know. We are *not* looking for preferential treatment. There was a case a few weeks ago of someone who did not know about our service who left a critical care unit early, perhaps uncertain of the severity of his diagnosis, perhaps due to linguistic or cultural problems. He tragically died hours afterwards. The family had to cope with their grief in a strange land without even the token benefit of a doctor who knew their culture and language supporting them. We shouldn't let that happen again. If you feel that you want this service to be available please visit our website at www.britishgp.fr and email or call us now so that we can convince those who need convincing that there is a need here. Most sincerely Dr Huw Casson MBBS MRCS Ed Dr Judith Casson MBBS Hons DCH DRCOG DFFP
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