Christmas in hospital: A star for all those who have to stay

It's quiet on the streets, the last of the shopping has been done and everyone is slowly settling in at home. Christmas Eve is just around the corner and it's time for fondue, contemplation and family. While most people spend the next few days in their living rooms, others are still at work or are unable to go home to their loved ones – the key word being hospital. People are also working at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (Chem) in Esch, as patients need to be cared for, holidays or not.

Dr Valérie Piren also spends Christmas at the clinic. The doctor has been working in neurology for 15 years. Working on public holidays is not uncommon, as it is part of the job. "In some jobs, that's just the way it is. My husband is a policeman and also works when others are off, so our children know that and I personally don't think it's a bad thing, " says the neurologist.

Almost like a Sunday

Unlike the nursing staff, for example, who have to be on site for the entire shift, the doctors at Chem are on call, meaning they are mostly allowed to go home and only come in for emergencies. "Of course we do our rounds in the morning, but I can eat with my family, for example, and only have to go to the hospital when I'm called. But that's not the case in all hospitals, " explains Dr Piren. This year, the neurologist is on duty on 25 December, but she is off on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and already knows that she won't be on duty during the Christmas holidays next year: "The schedule is already set for the year so that it's not always the same people working."

On the days themselves, it's business as usual at the hospital. "You can think of it like a normal Sunday, so only those who are on duty are there, " explains the doctor. While psychiatrists and emergency doctors sometimes have a little more to do at times due to increased alcohol consumption and family disputes, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the like do not stand out in neurology. "People get just as ill as they do the rest of the year. So we mainly see patients with strokes, epileptic crises and cerebral haemorrhages. However, the emergency service is generally a little quieter than usual because only those who are really ill come in, " says Dr Piren.