According to UFC-Que Choisir, agglomerations of 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants are the most affected.
Finding a treating doctor can become a real obstacle course. The UFC-Que Choisir association conducted a investigation in June 2019. She notes that 44% of general practitioners refuse new patients.
[#Santé] Close to a #doctor #generalist out of two refuses new patients! L’@UFCquechoisir ask @agnesbuzyn emergency measures to guarantee every French person access to a #Doctor.#Health care access #MedicalDeserts https://t.co/OEB7Wcq1lv
– UFC-Que Choisir (@UFCquechoisir) November 21, 2019
Overworked doctors
UFC – Que Choisir interviewed 2,770 doctors. On the whole, nearly half said they would not take on a new patient and 9% wanted to meet the patient for the first time before agreeing to be their doctor. The majority of them explain that they already have too many patients to take on again, and 14% justify their refusal by retiring.
Territorial differences
Depending on the region, the number of general practitioners able to receive new patients varies. In Meurthe-et-Moselle and Bas-Rhin, one doctor in five refuses new patients, while they are 78% in Charente, 70% in Allier and 86% in Seine-et-Marne. The size of the city also has an influence on the availability of doctors. In municipalities with less than 3,000 inhabitants, the refusal rate is 33%, 52% in cities with 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants and 34% in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. In total, one in ten French people would not have a general practitioner.
The possibility of recourse to health insurance
Having an attending physician allows you to be better reimbursed by Social Security. Coverage is 70% compared to 30% in the absence of a attending physician. If you need to find a treating doctor, you can consult the health insurance website, which lists general practitioners. In the event of failure, the mediator of the primary health insurance fund has the task of helping you find a solution.
Telemedicine, a solution?
The development of telemedicine has several objectives, including the fight against medical deserts. It should help patients find a treating doctor more easily. Since September 2018, she has been covered by Health Insurance. According to the first figures, the majority of these online consultations are carried out in Île-de-France. In total, there were 60,000 teleconsultations between September 2018 and September 2019, compared to approximately 350,000 million physical consultations each year.
