As part of the right-wing primary, candidate Philippe Juvin warns against the increase in medical deserts in France. Asked CNews on November 18, 2021, the LR mayor of La Garenne-Colombes affirms that in Châteauroux, “there are four pediatricians to treat all the children in the department “. If the situation is as critical as described by the doctor, the figure is no longer relevant.
Contacted by franceinfo, the Order of Physicians of Indre indicates that it has only two pediatricians registered in its registers for 34,260 children from the Indre department. For her part, Françoise Bandaly, head of the gyneco-pediatrics pole of the Châteauroux hospital center, affirms that there are indeed four pediatricians in the health establishment.
But the Châteauroux hospital center remains the only place to find pediatricians throughout the department. As indicated by a report of the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs dated March 2021, Indre therefore no longer has any pediatrician in liberal practice.
In eight French departments, there is less than one liberal pediatrician per 100,000 inhabitants (against 5 in 2012), according to the same report. The departments concerned are Mayotte, Manche, Eure, Vendée, Creuse, Haute-Saône, Haute-Loire and Indre. As for pediatricians in exclusive liberal practice, that is to say who do not practice in the hospital, the number is also in large decline. In 2020, five departments have none: Haute-Marne, Manche, Haute-Loire, Indre and Creuse.
Thus, a large gap is widening between the density of hospital and liberal pediatricians between the French departments. In 2020, Paris is the best endowed department. Its density of pediatricians is then twenty times higher than in the least endowed department.
Edit: Contacted by franceinfo, the head of the gyneco-pediatrics pole indicates that there is an error in the counting of the number of pediatricians by the Council of the Order since her service has four pediatricians since September.