Municipal elections 2026 in Chaumont: Gilles Dupont lends his medical expertise to Paul Fournié

Gilles Dupont is the president of the support committee for Paul Fournié, a candidate in the 2026 municipal elections. The first topic addressed by the association "Chaumont Partageons Demain" (Chaumont Sharing Tomorrow) is health. As usual, the former oncologist is frank and direct.

Paul Fournié made a shrewd move by choosing Gilles Dupont as president of his support committee for his 2026 municipal campaign. The former oncologist and former president of the medical association is well-known and respected in Chaumont. He possesses extensive expertise in healthcare, which, incidentally, is the primary focus of the association "Chaumont Partageons Demain" (Chaumont Sharing Tomorrow).

When it comes to his assessment, the doctor doesn't mince words, even if it means shaking things up… He believes that the primary point of contact for healthcare is the general practitioner, and that there aren't enough of them in Chaumont. "A doctor should have 900 patients. But they have 2,000." The town has about fifteen doctors, whereas twice that number would be needed for a well-managed, timely patient care pathway. For Gilles Dupont, the solution lies in making the town more attractive and getting doctors to take on trainees to encourage them to stay in the area. He himself came to Chaumont that way. He speaks of mentorship as a solution to the problem, given that 90% of patients who go to the hospital are referred by a general practitioner.

Next, for him, comes the problem of working conditions in the hospital. "It's not possible to have just one doctor or surgeon in each specialty," he says, at the risk of being too fragile and at the mercy of sick leave or vacations. Orthopedics, visceral, spinal, or prostate surgery, rheumatology, or urology… two or three specialists would be needed in each case. He continues: "The major task for our elected officials will be recruitment in the university hospitals of Dijon, Reims, Nancy, and even abroad, by meeting not with the deans, but directly with the students." Gilles Dupont would like the Chaumont hospital to become a mini-university hospital, as the clinic once was, with specific support for interns, including housing and work opportunities for their spouses.

Regarding the construction of two hospitals, one in Chaumont and the other in Langres, he says he has changed his mind. "After narrowly avoiding disaster in 2022, the medical situation made us reconsider." As head of the medical association, he wanted the surgical unit in Rolampont and the medical center in Chaumont, without considering regional planning. Now, he wants "the project to move forward and patients to receive treatment." He will do everything to make it work, believing he is "eager to succeed and disregards everything that has been said. It's time to put away the knives, or risk losing everything."

He also took the opportunity to criticize the hospital's excessive bureaucracy. Administrative staff used to make up 15% of the total workforce; now they represent 30%. He believes the money would be better invested in healthcare professionals.

Frédéric Thévenin

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Gilles Dupont will not be on Paul Fournié's list due to a lack of time. For him, being elected is not a commitment to be taken lightly, and he feels he cannot fully commit to it. However, he may participate in the health committee to contribute his expertise. For Paul Fournié, the former oncologist has a vision of hope and a forward-looking perspective: "That of a professional who focuses on the population's primary concern."

Regarding the decision to build two hospitals instead of one in Rolampont, which would have cost almost twice as much including infrastructure (over €250 million compared to the current €160 million), he stands by his decision to locate them at the heart of the community, with its residents, staff, and businesses, and not solely for medical reasons. He is tired of accusations of bad faith, given that the decisions were made in the public interest.