Edition Thionville – Hayange | Coronavirus: doctors now have room

In less than a month, the massive destruction of the coronavirus has taken almost everything. Thousands of lives, our freedoms and, without being a specialist in economic mechanisms, jobs in the future. There will be a before and after Covid-19.

Without even waiting for the “deconfinement”, this prophecy is already materializing in thionville medical offices. Overcrowded as it is, sorry, the A31 until very recently, they are now deserted by frightened patients.

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BEFORE

“The practitioner does not take a new patient on this reason. If you have not already consulted this practitioner, this practitioner will not receive you. »Last February, the first attempt to make an appointment on the doctolib.fr site set the tone for the rest of the events.

A second Thionville doctor surveyed also relied on this leading medical site for the management of his planning. A niche seemed free the … next week. In the morning. Our “virtual flu”, we wrote at the time, had to wait. We clicked. New error message, worded as follows: “You can only make an appointment if you are already followed at the office. “The quest was to be sporty.

Hallelujah: a voice, embodied, was finally ringing on the other end. Was this fourth medical office going to be the right one? “No, for the past two years, the doctor has not taken on new patients anymore.” The small voice perceived our disappointment. She softened the diagnosis: “We have two other doctors who provide replacements. One of them still has room. Finally, for troubleshooting. ” Our interlocutor confessed his discomfort: “On average, I have to decline twenty people in your case. I’m on the front line and sometimes it’s not easy … “

A general practitioner in person picked up the phone: “I’m nearing retirement. So no, I’m not taking on new patients. Good luck to you. “Nice. We found comfort in this other health professional, freshly installed in the city: “We cannot take another 50 new patients. But yes, there are still a few slots. »And two (almost) scheduled meetings!

The following ? Another registered messaging service that no longer accepts … messages. Still invitations, in case of “vital emergency”, to contact 15 or Medigarde. Doctolib then proved to be just as definitive. The words change, the spirit remains: “If the doctor is not your declared treating doctor, this one will not receive you”.

Finally, the medical secretary of a couple of generalists who were close to retirement described the profile of the next generation, a priori “less ready to sacrifice their personal life on the altar of work. Where the elders multiplied the home visits and the hours of consultation, the young generation of practitioners values ​​their quality of life, taking vacations, etc. How can you blame them ? “Ok but our” flu “, in all that …” A doctor ensures replacements. Maybe he could take you, it will depend on you … ”In other words: our ability to enter into his good graces? ” It’s exactly that. We still come across patients who are not very honest, not very respectful. Practitioners today have this luxury: that of choosing. Nowadays, an appointment is worth it… ”

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NOW

No, nowadays, an appointment is made. Easily, even. Less than a month after this brief investigation, the spirit is no longer the same. Doctolib, for example, is much less expeditious. The online consultation booklet of many practitioners is like a huge area devoid of any appointment. From one day to the next, when it is not the same day, it is possible to get a face to face with a general practitioner: “The patients are afraid,” deplores a medical secretary. Fear of coming to consult, fear of catching the coronavirus at home. It’s more dangerous to go shopping than to see your doctor. “

A reassuring speech that extends to the security measures taken in this medical office: “No more than two people in our waiting room which is however very large. A room is also reserved for patients who have symptoms of Covid-19, ”she explains. Despite this reassuring device, the feeling of preaching in a medical desert lives in him: “Tomorrow, I have … a single appointment made. And the next few days, huge empty time slots. Just a month ago, I had no availability for one of the three doctors in the office. Besides, it had been three years since he had taken any more new patients. “

The situation is worrisome, “especially for those following heavy treatments. In these cases, teleconsultation is now refused. Their physical monitoring is compulsory. So does their… ”health.

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