A text watched like milk on the fire by an entire profession. While a new mobilization of liberal doctors took place in mid-October, senators began to examine this Tuesday, October 24, a bill tabled by Horizons deputy Frédéric Valletoux, supposed to redefine the territorial responsibility of practitioners.
To fight against medical desertification, and guarantee the permanence of care for the entire population, the text includes a series of measures denounced by practitioners as too restrictive, and for some even coercive.
“The best way to discourage medical students”
Among the most criticized, the restriction of the freedom of establishment of practitioners with the aim of fighting against medical deserts. A measure rebutted Tuesday evening by the upper house, which rejected a series of amendments aimed at “directing” the establishment of doctors towards poorly provided territories.
“This is the best way to discourage medical students,” argues Corinne Imbert, related to the LR group, and designated rapporteur. Same story from his colleague, Senator Bruno Belin: “If you force a student to settle in the depths of Finistère, he will arrive with a loud face.”
Medical deserts in France
© / afp.com/Cléa PÉCULIER
The Minister of Health opposed to “coercive measures”
Enough to irritate part of the Upper House, which is shouting haro on a public health issue. “I do not understand why the Senate, the chamber of territories, is behind the Assembly on the defense of access to care in rural areas,” complained centrist elected official Hervé Maurey.
Faced with medical desertification which affects nearly 87% of the national territory, an aggregation of parliamentarians from all political sides attempted to include a system aimed at conditioning the installation of a practitioner in areas already well provided with caregivers. departure of a colleague. A red line for the presidential camp, which had already had a similar transpartisan proposal rejected in the National Assembly in June.
While the regulation of the installation of doctors appeared on the program of the president candidate for the 2022 election, the Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, however, repeatedly opposed the implementation of “coercive measures “. And to reaffirm, on the sidelines of collective negotiations with the unions, its “confidence in the sense of responsibility of professionals”.