'We no longer believe you': Nurses confront French President at Paris hospital

France’s President Emanuel Macron was met with angry reception at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris. The French leader made a visit earlier this week, in a bid to cheer up those battling COVID-19 on the frontline. However, he was roasted and questioned by dozens of underequipped, ill-paid and "desperate" nurses. 

Pitie-Salpetriere is reportedly one of the leading Paris institutions treating coronavirus patients. According to reports, upon his visit, Macron asked the nurses to let “good energy fall and despair set in”. However, this did not go well with sone nurses who hammered him with their grievances. The president's office had already anticipated the angry reception and fearing damage to Macron’s image, they did not allow for any media to record his visit. However, a clip shot on a smartphone surfaced on Twitter. 

The clip starts with the nurse saying, “I’ve worked as a nurse for six years. We have no equipment. We have nothing! Why am I currently working with a mask that expired in 2001? Just why?" "We are desperate. We no longer believe in you," she further said. 

'Most poorly paid' 

Following the roast, Macron could be heard reiterating that he has promised a spike in salaries and financial bonuses for the healthcare workers battling COVID-19. However, he was soon confronted by another nurse, who said that the bonus was nice – "we’ll take it anyway,” but France is still “one of the countries where nurses are the most poorly paid anyway.” She then claimed that with each promise, the government adds conditions. 

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Macron then went on defensive arguing that when he makes promises, he fulfills them. Following this, a nurse quipped that her salary did not see any difference. The verbal argument developed into a tenser situation prompting the French leader to finally acknowledged the mistake that has now lead to the overhauling of the medical system. France is currently the seventh-worst COVID-19 hit nation in the world with over 179,365 cases and 27,625 fatalities. As of now, 61,066 people have recovered from the lethal respiratory infection while 90,674 remain in serious condition. 

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(Representative image)