health
Over 100 mobile clinics to be deployed in French ‘medical deserts’
Known as ‘médicobus,’ the clinics will help address doctor shortages and improve access to appointments
Published
France plans to deploy 70 more mobile medical clinics, known as médicobus, to serve areas with limited access to healthcare.
In total, the government aims to have more than 100 certified médicobus during 2027, compared with 34 currently.
These mobile clinics are set to serve rural areas and priority urban neighbourhoods, and form part of the government's efforts to tackle medical deserts, where people struggle to find a doctor or book an appointment.
Why rural areas struggle to attract doctors
Attracting doctors to areas facing shortages remains a long-standing challenge.
“There are many more young women doctors today. They often have children, and going to a desert – not just a medical desert, but somewhere where there is no school, no administration, no nursery, nothing to look after the children – is difficult,” Dr Jean-Luc Leymarie, a GP and member of the national bureau of the Confédération des Syndicats Médicaux Français (CSMF), told The Connexion.
He added that younger doctors also wanted to maintain a better work-life balance, saying: “Our young doctors want to have a life after 18:00.”
It is thought the médicobus could partly help solve the issue since it would not require doctors to permanently move to these areas.
Depending on local needs, the médicobus will be able to offer appointments with GPs, specialists, dentists and midwives. It may also provide assisted teleconsultations, with a nurse helping patients during remote appointments.
The clinics will be open to all patients, but priority will be given to people without a registered GP (médecin traitant) or those who live far from healthcare services.
One example is Saint-Étienne, where a mobile clinic was inaugurated in September to serve five neighbourhoods facing difficulties accessing healthcare.
“Faced with this situation, we made a choice: not to wait for the difficulties to worsen, and above all not to wait for the residents to come to us,” Régis Juanico, the mayor of Saint-Étienne said in a Facebook post.
He said that 17,265 residents did not have a registered GP, while 48 doctors had stopped practising since 2023, compared with 27 new doctors setting up in the same period.
The service is being tested until December, with 23 doctors having volunteered to work in the mobile clinic.
The first phase of the government’s programme was launched in 2023, with a target of around 100 mobile units by the end of 2024. However, only 34 have so far received certification.
Under the second call for projects, regional health agencies (ARS) and the Banque des Territoires will support new initiatives.
The Banque des Territoires will provide €3.2million in funding, offering up to €25,000 towards each successful project, in addition to existing public funding. Projects will also need to secure additional sources of financial support.
Running a médicobus is estimated to cost around €200,000 a year, with expenses shared between regional health agencies, the French health insurance system, local authorities and other funders.
The programme is now linked to the government's France Santé network, whose goal is to enable patients to access healthcare within 30 minutes and receive a response to their medical needs within 48 hours.
