His arrival was eagerly awaited in Évron, in the Coëvrons: a new doctor is currently moving to the health center, located in the town. The first registrations for patients began this Thursday, September 1. Rather than saturating the switchboard with hundreds of calls, residents looking for a doctor had to go directly to the site. Result: a long queue with more than 120 people, starting this Thursday. Residents who were unable to register returned to queue this Friday, September 2.
– Maïwenn Bordon
Hundreds of patients without a doctor
The first patients arrived at 9:30 a.m. on Friday September 2 to ensure that they had a treating doctor, while registration only started at 2 p.m. Most of them have not been followed by a practitioner since the retirement of three doctors in Évron in June. “My husband came at 9:30 am, I came later: we take turns so as not to lose our place“, describes Marie, a resident of Évron. Like her, many patients in the queue came the day before but did not manage to register before the closing of the secretariat of the health center.
After an hour, my husband went to get me my walker because I could only stand: 3 hours yesterday, 4 hours today.
A 76-year-old patient.
– Maïwenn Bordon
The town hall of Évron has installed chairs so that the wait is shorter. Some patients came with their own chair, an umbrella to wait in the rain and even something to eat. “I decided to come early so I could have my chance. I have a family of four and all four of us are without a doctor, including my first, who is 18 and hasn’t had a doctor for two years.“, underlines Manuela, the first patient to register with the new doctor’s patient base this Friday, September 2. Others prefer to give up in the face of the long queue. “I turn around, it’s no use“, loose Sylvie, who does not believe her eyes.
Most of the patients in the queue are retired. Those who work have more difficulty finding the time to travel. “I shift my schedules and then I go back to work“, confides Lydie, who is the deputy director of a medico-social establishment. This mother wanted to be present so that her three children could have a doctor.
Isabelle, she leaves empty-handed, without the possibility of registering on the list of patients of the new doctor. She was followed by a doctor from Évron who has retired and she thought she could be followed by the new doctor at the Maison de Santé. But as she lives in Montsûrs, she is therefore outside the sector. “In Montsûrs, there is also the same problem that here a doctor has just left“, regrets this Mayennaise. By her side, her mother Ginette: she was able to register as she lives in Évron. “At 74, you say to yourself, you need a doctor. My husband absolutely needs one. We only have a prescription until November“, she points.
– Maïwenn Bordon
In total, the new doctor will be able to take care of 500 patients. He is the second new doctor to move into the Évron nursing home. A third new practitioner could arrive before the end of the year: the town hall is hopeful that he will be practicing as of November. These facilities would allow the health center to accommodate six practitioners in total.