Letters: The reality of finding a new doctor or dentist in France
Finding a replacement is nigh impossible, says Connexion reader in Lot-et-Garonne
If your dentist retires, it can be difficult to find a replacement in some areas
Felix_Velez / Shutterstock
To the Editor,
I read your recent article about finding a new doctor or dentist after the present one retires.
Do you have any idea how difficult/impossible that is?
We live in Lot-et-Garonne. Yesterday evening I broke a tooth very badly. and this morning spent three hours on the telephone trying to find a dentist – nothing.
One of them offered me an appointment in about 10 days’ time – me with a bad tooth!
A few months ago a close friend lost his doctor, who was retiring – no automatic replacement.
He spent several days phoning around to try to get a doctor to accept him and his partner - despite my friend having difficulties with skin cancer. After many many calls, he persuaded a doctor to accept him, but not his partner.
He now has to drive 30km to see this doctor.
Read more: AI used to tackle dermatologist shortage in France
We have a dermatologist locally for my wife who has skin problems. She is seen as a favour by a local lady dermo who is semi-retired and practices only two mornings a month! There are virtually no other dermatologists in this area. If there are any, they will just not accept any new patients.
This is the real world here in this region. Your gentle, complacent article completely missed the point.
Peter Lyons, by email
What is your experience of finding a medical professional in France? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com
