07.03.2014 French “Rroma doctor” suspended

Christophe Lamarre, who amongst others, treats a large community of Rroma in Roubaix, was suspended from his work by the tribunal of social security for a period of four months. In its explanations for the suspension, the tribunal refers to the unlawful prescription of drugs, both in terms of quantity as well as duration: “He prescribed Subutex and other substances derived from morphine in too big quantities and for too long periods [ … ] The rules concerning prescribed Toxika are very strict: not more than 28 days without interruption. These errors in the prescription can be very dangerous for patients.” Lamarre was not suspended, as some media announced incorrectly, due to exceeded working hours. In 2009, following an investigation due to anomalies in his prescriptions, a health insurance of Roubaix filed a suit against Lamarre. Lamarre was trying to show that he had already reduced the prescriptions of morphine when receiving the complaint from the insurance by 40%. Nevertheless, in November 2013 he was sentenced to a four-month suspension of his profession, two of them on probation. In the district of Roubaix, where Lamarre practices, one doctor is responsible for 10’000 inhabitants. Lamarre accommodated several Rroma families in his former practice after a local camp had been evicted (compare Bordenet 2014, Mascoli 2014, Metronews 2014, Le Nouvel Observateur 2014).