GP'S

[idun]

My son has said that he is having trouble finding a new GP, his has moved and finding one who is taking new patients is proving extremely difficult.

Also, his friends have said that they have quite a wait to get an appointment with theirs these days, and some friends have told me the same thing.

Is the rest of France better served???

[woolybanana]

Mine is excellent, local, next or same day appointments.

[EuroTrash]

My MT is retiring at the end of the year, the mayor has been talking the talk for at least a year about arranging to set up a medical centre but it hasn't happened, and there is no other doctor within 25km.

[NormanH]

I posted about the shortage of Doctors a while ago:

http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance-forums/cs/forums/3657706/ShowPost.aspx

and although that was focussed on Specialists there is a rapidly  increasing problem with GPs. All it takes is for one or two in a group to retire and it seems that they have a huge problem replacing them.

I have seen this in both the places I have been living in.

[andyh4]

I signed up with my MT 5 years ago and at that time you could get appointments within 48 hours and frequently next day. She had just started up here.

Since the 2 or 3 of the doctors in the area have retired and have not been replaced and for normal consultations it can be up to 10 days to get an appointment. So things are certainly getting difficult.

[alittlebitfrench]

Same day or next day. 5 min walk.

Now, as i understand it there have never been so many doctors/medical professionals working in France.

Trouble is quite simply, they don't want to work/live in the middle of nowhere.

With the increases in fuel and 80 kph limit, who would.

How can doctors earn a living ? Who would want to bring up a family in these areas anyway ? Not much future for their kids. The only people who move to these areas are Brits who don't read French news before moving !!!

I flippently said on the other thread regarding 'limited internet access' that this was the least of their problems.

Retire/move to rural France and you are going to have all sorts of problems in the future.

I am right. Of course I am !!!

[Gardengirl]

The excellent GP practice we’re registered with in Our small town in France usually has apoointments available within 2-4 days with any GP, longer for your MT.

Up to a couple of years ago an appointment was always the same or the next day. All of the doctors are quite young, so apart from such things as maternity leave, we’re unlikely to lose any. Fingers crossed. However, quite a number of apartment blocks have been built in the last few years, so patient numbers have risen a lot,

Our excellent GP practice in the UK that we’ve been registered with for 40+ years almost always had same day/next day appointments until about 18 months year ago. Now it can be a week before one is available, possibly more.

Some of the difficulties are due to maternity leave and the change by GPs to part-time work when the babies arrive. That applies to our 2 usual doctors at the moment. However, most problems seem due to funding, as our doctors use phone appointments, nurse practitioners and other innovative methods.

If our practice, with maybe 20 GPs in 3 places around the relatively affluent area is finding difficulties it worries me that less innovative practices, maybe with only 1/2 doctors and in more difficult areas will be under much greater strain.

[Lehaut]

Our excellent GP is not taking on any new patients, has not done now for several years. The notice on the secretaries window states that appointments have to be made minimum of 15 days in advance, primarily for routine check ups.

[Patf]

There have been reports that a large proportion of current GPs are approaching retirement, and many won't be replaced. Some specialists too.

Here's an article, which I've shown before, about the lovely family of doctors we had in France - the youngest tells how he tried to persuade his fellow students to come to the Gers, unsuccessfully:

https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2017/09/27/2653500-medecin-de-famille-avec-ses-parents-et-son-grand-pere.html

From the same article "D'ici 2021, le Gers va perdre 30% de ses généralistes."

[NormanH]

Here is another interesting article, which, though a little out-of-date (2017) gives a good analysis of the reasons and provides a map showing how different regions are affected:

http://www.leparisien.fr/economie/la-penurie-de-medecins-generalistes-s-aggrave-12-10-2017-7326540.php

and it isn't just in the country:

"Cette baisse du nombre de généralistes « affecte la quasi-totalité de

nos territoires ; on la constate dans 93 de nos départements », note le

Cnom, y compris à Paris qui a perdu 20% de ses médecins"

but in contrast

" sont 33% de plus dans le Morbihan, 28% de plus en Loire-Atlantique, 29% de plus en Savoie."   because of the "qualité de vie"

[Patf]

Thanks for that, Norman.

Another reason that puts off new doctors from coming to places like Masseube, in the link, is that there's a large ageing population, very 'conservative', who don't trust the young interns and choose not to see them.

Very upsetting for them.  I saw it happen many times and notices were put up about it.

[richard51]

Perhaps this is a factor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_education_in_France

One needs money and stamina to survive for nine years as a student.

[Patf]

That's right, Richard. I could hardly believe it when I read it takes 9 years to qualify as a Generaliste.

These standards are fairly recent.

[woolybanana]

To be fair, the powers that be are finally trying to reform medical training to shorten it a bit and provide more doctors. Whether this provides more docs in less desirable areas remains to be seen.

There are also other experiments in hand such as computer diagnosis and FaceTime type appointments.

[andyh4]

9 years to train as a generaliste in France compared with 10 years in the UK to become a fully trained and independent GP.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=968179

[Loiseau]

I guess all this contributes to the long waits endured in hospital A&E departments, if patients need more urgent attention.

[Jazzer]

Same day , next day on occasion.Great doctor, and my wife says she feels better as soon as starts talking!

[Patf]

10 years in the UK? I didn't know that Andy.

Is that from first going to Uni at 18+ after A levels?