Then you're probably in a so-called "medical desert". This term is used to describe regions, départements or simply towns where the availability of general practitioners is not high enough to ensure that everyone has proper access to medical care.
While this phenomenon is particularly prevalent in rural areas, where one doctor's practice often has to manage several villages, it also exists in very large cities such as Paris.
The number of practitioners is higher, but the number of inhabitants is even higher, so there's a real mismatch between supply and demand.
The result : more self-medication, illnesses that aren't treated as quickly as they could be, more contamination and spread of viruses, but also overcrowding of emergency departments in nearby hospitals and overworked doctors.
So how can we combat the medical desert, how can we put an end to this disturbing and sometimes even dangerous situation?
Combating medical desertification is a major concern in France, as it is in many other countries, because the consequences are so damaging, both for patients and for medical staff.
Unfortunately, finding a solution to this problem doesn't seem to be that simple for our government, since the situation is getting worse every year.
In 2018, the number of French people living in a so-called medical desert zone stood at 3.8 million, up from 2.5 million in 2014. Not only is this number rising, but the situation is getting worse in these areas. There are few GPs, and these eventually cease practice and are not replaced, shifting the workload to the next nearest GP (sometimes more than twenty kilometers away).
So what's behind this phenomenon, and how can we combat the medical desert?
One of the main reasons for this is the decline in the number of general practitioners in general.
Indeed, since 2015, the number of active practitioners has stagnated: some are starting their careers, but almost as many are retiring. Where the population and therefore the need for health-related appointments is increasing, the number of available doctors remains the same.
Given this situation, why not help doctors to combat the medical desert?
Faced with this situation endangering the health of many patients as well as that of many healthcare professionals who find themselves overworked, the French government has decided to implement a strategy called "Santé 2022". The aim of this strategy is to encourage future general practitioners to set up practice in areas where there are few doctors, through the payment of grants or financial aid, for example.
In the meantime, a number of companies have been looking for a way to give everyone quick and easy access to a medical consultation: this is how medical cabins came into being.
Set up in pharmacies pharmacies or in town hallsthese connected booths don't take up much space and can put you in touch with a healthcare professional in just a few minutes.
Simple to use and intuitive, these cabins feature a number of connected tools, such as a blood pressure monitor, thermometer, etc., which will enable the doctor to examine the patient remotely and make a reliable, accurate diagnosis. At the end of the consultation, the GP can issue a prescription that will be printed in the cabin.
Not only does this modern solution help to combat the medical desert, because a doctor can take care of patients in several towns at the same time, without having to travel or have several practices.
At present, some thirty pharmacies in France are participating in this scheme, and feedback from users is more than positive. In fact, over ninety-seven of them say they would recommend the service to their friends and family without hesitation. Pharmacies also benefit from the installation of these cabins, since they considerably increase the number of visits to their establishments, and hence sales of cosmetics and parapharmacy products.
If you work in a pharmacy or a town hall and you too would like to fight against the medical desert, don't hesitate to consult our our website to find out more about how connected medical cabins work. Once operational, patients simply need to come in when they need to, fill in an information form and a few minutes later they'll be connected to a doctor.
Fighting the medical desert is no easy task, and it will certainly be some time before all French people have effective access to medical care, so don't hesitate to take action and add your stone to the edifice if you can.
The Titteuls pharmacy in Blanc-Mesnil is delighted to have chosen the Tessan teleconsultation solution. Read the interview.
Read the interview with the mayor of Pierrefitte Nestalas, who shares his experience following the installation of the connected medical cabin.
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