In Laval, retired practitioners are called to the rescue. In this medical desert, 10,000 inhabitants do not have a doctor.
At work ! In Laval, retired doctors have not quite said their last word. To compensate for the lack of manpower in this medical desert which is home to 50,000 inhabitants, a dozen retired practitioners will resume service, at the rate of a few days on call per month.
The project was imagined a year ago by the Council of the Order of Physicians of Mayenne, reports France Blue. The CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) estimates that 10,000 inhabitants of the city are deprived of doctors… with all the health risks that this entails.
Treat 3000 patients
This new service should make it possible to take care of 3,000 patients. The doctors will be supported by two interns. They will work three or four days a month, still relates the regional media.
But this organization is not intended to last. It is in fact expected that it will not extend beyond three years. Sustainable solutions will have to be implemented in order to stem the shortage of doctors in Mayenne, insist the local actors.
200 medical deserts
There are nearly 200 medical deserts in France, according to 2015 figures from the National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM). In these under-resourced areas live more than 2.5 million French people.
While the legislators are working on several avenues – restricting the freedom of installation with selective agreements, establishing installation bonuses… – the regions compete in originality to attract doctors, between speed-dating, advertisements on Le Bon Coin and enticing offers.
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