Three thousand junior doctors have begun their final year of training across France on November 2, aiming to address critical shortages in medical deserts. These future general practitioners are part of a new generation implementing a reform adopted in 2022, which extends the total duration of general medicine training to nine years, aligning it with specialist pathways. Consequently, this cohort represents the first group for whom the general practice internship has increased from three to four years.
Functioning similarly to registered physicians, these junior doctors conduct consultations, provide care, and manage chronic diseases while remaining under the responsibility of a supervising practitioner. The government anticipates that this deployment will improve access to healthcare and encourage long-term settlement in areas with the most urgent needs. According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 80% of these trainees have been assigned to zones with significant difficulties in accessing care, including ZIP, ZAC, and urban policy districts. Their final year consists of two six-month internships.
The majority of these doctors will work four days a week in private practices, multiprofessional health houses, or health centers, though some may work in healthcare establishments based on their professional projects. They receive a monthly salary of slightly over 2,700 euros, supplemented by a 400-euro 'supervised autonomy' bonus and an additional premium of up to 1,000 euros depending on the remoteness of the zone, along with compensation for on-call duties.
The distribution of these doctors depends on health needs and the availability of trained supervisors. The Ile-de-France region will host 400 junior doctors, including 74 in Seine-Saint-Denis, 64 in Essonne, and 58 in Paris. In the Centre-Val-de-Loire region, located at the heart of the medical 'diagonal of emptiness,' 102 practitioners will be deployed, with specific allocations to Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Eure-et-Loir, and Indre. The regional health authority confirms that all training sites in this area are located in under-dense zones. Additionally, Occitanie will receive 241 doctors, distributed across departments such as Haute-Garonne, Gard, Aveyron, Lot, and Lozère.
Sources: Le Monde.