French medical staff have staged a demonstration to voice their anger at the Socialist government’s planned changes in their working hours, saying the reforms will cause more burnout for workers and poor patient care.

On Thursday, thousands of French doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel gathered outside the headquarters of Paris' regional hospital authority that oversees 38 hospitals as well as 95,000 employees.

Nurses in green scrubs and technicians in white lab coats were among those attending Thursday’s protest, which was called by the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris trade union.

The demonstrators, who were holding banners reading, "Taking away our rights never made the economy grow,” lined a roadway close to the Paris city hall.

Sabrina Benmesbah, a cardiac nurse at Lariboisiere hospital, criticized the planned changes, saying they would result in less time off for medical staff and worse healthcare.

The reforms put forward by France’s Health Ministry are aimed at saving 20 million euros (22 million dollars) a year by renegotiating hospital workers' working hours agreements.

In recent months, the French healthcare industry has seen several strikes and rallies against the planned reforms, which are parts of a wider bill to make savings in state health.

Back in March, thousands of French medics also staged a protest march across Paris against France’s new public healthcare bill. The march was the medical profession's biggest demonstration in over two decades.

The events come as France, Europe’s second-biggest economy, is grappling with political and economic crises, worsened with President François Hollande taking power in May 2012.

SSM/KA/HMV