[A cry of alarm from non-university hospital pediatric departments. What future?]

A survey by questionnaire was carried out among pediatricians of the departments of pediatrics of the non university hospitals in France in order to know the activity and the conditions of work of these departments. Responses were obtained from 84 of the 140 departments of pediatrics. The results emphasized the important activity of these departments contrasting with frequent insufficiencies of the medical staff and equipment. Solutions are proposed in order to avoid an aggravation of the actual situation.