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Jacques is 72 years old. A doctor in his village since 1976, he cannot find a successor. So he decided to continue to take care of his patients whom he knows so well, until he can finally retire.
In Naizin, in Morbihan, since 1976, Jacques has been the only doctor in this village of 1,700 inhabitants. “I am not a very intellectual doctor. For me, it’s the relationship with people. They can ask me what they want, I don’t know how to say no, but it’s this closeness, being a bit of a confidant“, he confides.
Today, Jacques cannot find a successor. “I can’t abandon the people who trusted me. To leave is to abandon them a little bit“, he breathes. In France, many departments are facing a shortage of general practitioners. According to Health Insurance, 6.3 million French people are today without a doctor.
During his career, Jacques has had three burnouts. “He goes to bed at 2 a.m. every night. Because when he comes back from his visits, there’s all the paperwork to do, people who have asked for papers, files to fill out. He can’t take a fortnight’s vacation, it’s out of the question, because leaving people for a fortnight without a replacement…“, says his wife.