Gérard is worried. His doctor, at Gué-de-Velluire, will be retiring soon, he does not know if he will be able to find a new one. Marine, she arrived last year in Fontenay-le-Comte. She struggled to find a general practitioner and this year managed to make an appointment with a new doctor in Nieul-sur-l’Autise, thanks to Doctolib. Jean, he prefers to go to Niort for treatment. Philippe, who had been making an appointment at Foussais-Payré for twenty years, was refused by a new doctor when his retired, on the pretext that he was not from the town.
Like much of French territory, the south-eastern Vendée is a medical desert. Twenty liberal general practitioners practice on the territory of the country of Fontenay Vendée. That is to say an average of one doctor for 1,760 inhabitants, against one for 295 across France (1). The situation is hardly more enviable in the surrounding areas, as in the community of communes of Vendée Sèvre Autise, which has 10 doctors for 16,191 inhabitants.
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The number of liberal general practitioners in the territories of the communities of communes Pays de Fontenay-Vendée and Vendée Sèvre Autise. © Ouest-France
Some give up seeking treatment
Consequence: the inhabitants of the territory have great difficulty finding a new attending physician, taking an emergency consultation, finding a dentist, a pediatrician. Interviewed in 2018 as part of the diagnosis of the local health contract (2), these inhabitants also believe that the supply of specialists is insufficient. They often turn to professionals from neighboring towns and departments. Some, finally, simply give up seeking treatment.
However, the population of the territory is particularly sensitive: high unemployment rate, elderly population, large proportion of unsanitary housing… And the number of elderly people will increase considerably in the decades to come.
So why are doctors shying away from the territory of Fontenay-le-Comte? In the local health contract, the professionals in place evoke the lack of attractiveness of the territory, the offer not necessarily corresponding to their aspirations (isolated exercise, unattractive living environment for the employment of spouses, etc.). This is obviously a national issue: numerus clausus, the effects of which will not be visible in the territories for several years, attraction of young people for cities, specialization of young doctors, etc.
“A doctor who retired had more than 2,000 patients”
“Young doctors want to work less hours, be more with their family and above all not be alone”, sums up Éliane Guyon, former doctor and member of the SOS santé Sud Vendée collective. However, who says medical desert means significant number of patients in demand: according to estimates from the country of Fontenay Vendée, 10,000 patients are thus in search of an attending physician. “A doctor who retired had over 2,000 patients!, says a former mayor of a rural town. Whoever replaced him could not take his entire line. “
So here and there, doctors are extending their days. Others, reaching retirement age, extend their careers or resume service with families they know well …
(1) Insee figures and CRAFT
(2) A document drawn up by the communities of communes of the country of Fontenay Vendée, Vendée Sèvres Autise with the Regional Health Agency.
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