CHART: How long does it take to get to hospital in rural France?

France’s vast rural areas sorely lack medical care, and aside from a panoply of pharmacies, it can take far longer to find any form of care in the countryside than in towns according to a new study.

Access to care is unevenly distributed in France, with world class hospitals and specialist doctors available in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, and medical deserts in many rural areas.

Read more: Which rural areas of France are hardest hit by lack of doctors?

Indeed, all rural areas have fewer doctors per 1,000 residents than for comparable populations in urban areas, and the doctors present are older on average, according to a 2021 report by the Association of French rural mayors.

A new study, commissioned by the Fédération hospitalière de France (FHF) underscores the problems rural residents face when trying to access healthcare.

While the difference in the time it takes for rural and urban patients to reach a pharmacy [from their respective homes] is only 2 minutes, this difference is 34 minutes in the time it takes to get to hospital.

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