While pediatric emergency services are monopolized by the bronchiolitis epidemic, city medicine is also struggling to accommodate all of its patients. A study published in UFC que Choisir estimates that about a quarter of children between the ages of 0 and 10 are deprived of a pediatrician. France has many medical deserts and the number of practicing doctors is too low to meet the needs of a growing and aging population.
Pediatricians: rare commodity in France
The card published by UFC reveals what to choose 27% of children aged 0-10 live in a pediatric medical wasteland, that is, they must drive for at least 45 minutes to see a medical child. By counting the families who do not have the means to pay the excess taxes charged by some of these professionals, the percentage of children living in a medical wasteland would therefore rise to 46.8%.
A world of pediatrics plagued by a lack of resources
In recent weeks, parents have been asked to avoid emergency rooms congested by the bronchiolitis epidemic. Instead, it is recommended to contact 15 or contact your doctor. Finding a pediatrician is therefore an endurance race (and a certain number of hours spent in the safety lateral position while the baby and his 40 fevers flit happily in the living room).
The hospital struggles to recruit due to difficult working conditions, but the general lack of assistants is also explained by the few medical students admitted each year. Since 1971 a selective measure has made it possible to adjust the workforce according to needs. Unfortunately, these quotas have badly anticipated aging and population growth. The doctors on hand therefore prefer to practice in dynamic sectors and the less attractive areas turn into medical deserts.
Caregiver selection conditions have been relaxed and should allow more students to access medical training. Meanwhile, parents are turning to video dating and counting on the general practitioner to examine their snotty kitty between two other urgent consultations.
Front page photo credit: CDC / Unsplash
Source: Madmoizelle
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
