In order to attract three general practitioners, the small town of Maureilhan, in Hérault, produced a video clip, posted online on social networks. The only doctor in the village cannot find successors. Patients fear that they will no longer be able to seek treatment.
He is the last practicing doctor in the town. At 67, Doctor Bistuer is desperately waiting for succession before retiring, but he has not found any successors. So, as his departure approaches, within two years at the latest, concern is growing among his patients.
The day we get really sick and there is no one to take care of us, where will we go?
Anna and her entire family have only known one general practitioner: “doctors like him, I hope there are still some because he is a very good doctor“. So, she hopes that other practitioners will come to the town: “as soon as we are sick, not to wait, not to be on the waiting list, sometimes there are pathologies that must be treated immediately, we want a doctor who is available, who is there, who is present“.
Alex Bistuer has been practicing in Maureilhan, 10 minutes from Béziers, for 37 years. The non-replacement of his colleagues who have retired and today the prospect of leaving his patients without a doctor upsets him. He also doesn’t understand why no doctor wants to take his place: “Our village is near the sea, the population is very friendly, loyal, they are understanding. I don’t understand why the medical desert is taking hold. There were four doctors until now and little by little I find myself alone, especially at an age where I can retire in a short time.”.
I don’t want to stop, there’s no hurry, but I’m not Maureilhan’s medical future. We have to find a solution, we are not going to leave the sick alone.
Alex Bistuer, doctor for 37 years in Maureilhan.
The majority of village residents already no longer have a doctor and the mayor himself is deprived of one. Its municipal council may multiply its actions, but nothing works. To attract practitioners, the municipality injected 950,000 euros into the creation of a medical center, or 1/3 of its budget, with three doctors’ offices empty for the moment.
At the other end of the corridor, only nurses, sophrologists, psychologists and osteopaths have taken over the premises. So, to recruit one, two, three doctors in this brand new health center, the residents made a clip where they praise life in Maureilhan.
“Welcome to Maureilhan, we are all very impatient“, chants the video clip. Supporting drone images, residents and traders mobilized, the video aims to be a showcase of the village. The mayor of this town of 2,000 inhabitants, located in the south-west of the Hérault department , hopes that the call to recruit three GPs will be heard by willing practitioners.”We try to seize every opportunity in all media“, confirms Christian Séguy.
We hope to achieve this with the recruitment of at least one doctor, young or old, who can take over from retiring doctors.
Christian Séguy, mayor of Maureilhan.
On the conditions for welcoming future doctors, the mayor says he is doing his best: “We rent the premises for €500, but without charges, that is to say everything is included. Now, if we have to review the rental price to attract yet another doctor, why not? The price is already determined at the start, we will see later, nothing is set in stone”.
Ten days after it was posted online, the video clip already had 2,000 views. Among the spectators, perhaps one or more future doctors ready to settle in Maureilhan?
Written with Caroline Agullo.
2024-01-25 05:43:02
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