To fight against medical desertification, the Minister of Health appealed to the unions of liberal doctors. The plan will be presented at the start of the school year.
Liberal doctors’ unions and the government are lining up to fight against medical deserts. The Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn, announced that she was preparing a big plan for September to improve access to health care for the French. A plan in co-construction with the unions. Three of them have already made their ideas to the minister. Their proposals are also submitted to the Elysée and Matignon.
On the side of the CSMF, the main union of liberal doctors, one of the priorities is to introduce students to city medicine. Because until now the training of future doctors is done almost exclusively in the hospital environment. In particular, the CSMF proposes to develop internships in general and specialized medicine in the city from the start of the course. To this could be added 12 months of internship in general medicine during the internship. Medical deserts would be privileged.
Increase students and internship supervisors
The increase in remuneration is also an important axis, according to the union. First for students who are paid only 200 euros per month before entering boarding school. Housing and travel allowances are also offered for interns on internship in deficit areas. The internship supervisors should also benefit from higher allowances or tax advantages, says the union.
To encourage the installation of young doctors, the CSMF also proposed to the Minister of Health to create the development of salaried work and liberal and salaried practice. In regions with medical under-density, communities should also help doctors and their families to settle, explains the union, which also wishes to rely on the regrouping of professionals and telemedicine.
A secretary for two doctors
For the SML, union of liberal doctors, the deployment of these digital tools is “essential”. In the file submitted to Agnès Buzyn, the union warns, however, that this transition will require a large digital plan. “The map of ‘digital deserts’ fairly closely overlaps that of medical deserts,” notes the SML.
It is also counting on the hiring of staff, in particular a secretary for two doctors in order to free up medical time for the doctor.
Rely on the territories
For the Federation of Doctors of France, the FMF, the answer will not come from telemedicine. Rather, he relies on internships in city medicine, doubling the salaries of carabins who choose to do their internship in isolated areas.
He also wants to see the development of collaborations between doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Initiatives which make it possible to revalorize the territories and create real networks of coordinated care.
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