Map: how well (or not) each french area is served by health workers

THE MAP SHOWS HOW EACH AREA COMPARES TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR ACCESS TO PROFESSIONALS INCLUDING GPS, MIDWIVES AND PHYSIOTHERAPISTS You can now check how well your area in France is served

by healthcare workers - including specialists and GPs - with a new interactive, colour-coded map. The map was created and published by French public service broadcaster, FranceInfo, using

the most recently-available data (2023) from statistical research agency DREES (Direction de la Recherche, des Études, de l'Évaluation et des Statistiques) and figures from the Ministry

of Health. It shows the level of access (e.g. close proximity by car or number of appointments available) to a range of healthcare professionals, including GPs, midwives, nurses, dentists

and physiotherapists. DISCREPANCIES BY AREA The map also offers insights into discrepancies between areas, with more than 50% of rural communes experiencing a lack of GPs, in comparison to

28% of more urban locations.  In fact, France is above-average when it comes to disparities between areas, show figures for the OECD countries. Other trends found include:  * Coastal areas

are better served than the more rural centre of France * Discrepancies differ according to the medical speciality. For example, access to GPs and nurses has decreased by 1.4% and 0.3%

respectively since 2022, while access to midwives, dentists and physiotherapists is improving. COLOUR-CODED AND INTERACTIVE The map is interactive, with tabs along the top that enable users

to select GPs, dentists, midwives, nurses, and physiotherapists. It is colour-coded, with the legend reading: For example, the map below (a screenshot of the map here - scroll down to view)

shows mainland France and Corsica for GPs. You can click on each department on the map, which zooms in to a detailed close-up of coverage for each individual commune, town, or village in

that department. Clicking on a commune name will bring up extra data, such as the number of inhabitants, the number of that type of healthcare professional (e.g, midwife) in France on

average, and the number of professionals accessible in the commune. For example, the image below shows the department of Gironde, and the commune of Saint-Hélène (highlighted, in green). The

data shows that there are 3,004 inhabitants there, and that this commune is among the 18% best-covered by GPs. It also says that three GP consultations are available on average per year per

resident in France, and that Saint-Hélène has slightly better-than-average availability of four consultations. In contrast, another commune in the same department, Captieux in the far south

(see below, highlighted, in red), is among the 23% of communes less well-covered by GPs, with two consultations available rather than the average of three. MEDICAL DESERTS France has long

faced issues with so-called ‘medical deserts’, in which many people struggle to find healthcare nearby. Read also: Seven questions about ‘medical deserts’ in France Read more: Letters:

patients face six-month wait to see doctor in parts of France Read also: France’s medical deserts ‘pushing more GPs to turn away new patients’  A medical desert is an area in which patients

have trouble seeing a GP (or a specialist) regularly, whether because they cannot get an appointment, there are not enough doctors, or because they live too far away from their nearest GP

surgery. The government defines the term ‘medical desert’ specifically as an area in which patients have access to fewer than 2.5 consultations with a local GP per year on average. DREES has

also previously highlighted that residents of almost 8,000 communes - 20% of all French communes - have to travel on average at least 30 minutes by car to reach the nearest emergency

services. The term can also be used to describe areas in which there are not enough GPs so patient time is very stretched. In this case, even patients who do get an appointment may find they

do not have enough time to properly explain their problem and the GP does not have enough time to offer them a good level of care. Read more: How to see a doctor if you cannot sign up with

GP in France Read also: Can a French doctor refuse to take on a new patient?  Around 44% of GPs in France have refused new patients, with 71% of them declaring that they already have too

many, a study from consumer group UFC-Que Choisir shows.