Faced with the aging of the population, recruiting health professionals in our rural area is a key issue. Doctor Combe-Cayla, pulmonologist and vice-president in charge of health at the West Aveyron intermunicipal authority, takes stock.
How to attract health professionals in West Aveyron?
Dr Pascale Combe-Cayla : “It’s a global strategy. West Aveyron is an attractive territory for caregivers, structures must be deployed to convince them to settle. The dynamic is in place. It all starts with training. The territory is a training ground, from 6 to 8 months, for young people. We found that he couldn’t find accommodation easily and that was prohibitive. Since 2021, eleven accommodations for caregivers in training have been made available to them with attractive rates, at the Villa de Graves. Then comes the training. Sévignac high school has set up a health option in Première and Terminale. This creates opportunities and discoveries of these professions.
For you, one of the challenges is to increase the number of multidisciplinary health centers (MSP).
I had many feedback from professionals interested in our territory, but the structures were not deployed. People no longer settle in their corner as before to set up their practice. Today, it is necessary to combine forces in multidisciplinary health centers (MSP) to have the best possible dynamic.
What inventory can we then make in West Aveyron on the MSP?
At present, we are in the process of setting up a second health center in Villefranche, being renovated on the former gendarmerie. The Fouillade project should see the light of day at the end of 2024. There is already a team of caretakers which functions as an MSP, but they do not have the premises. Villeneuve is well equipped with an MSP which has attracted a doctor who has already arrived, and two very soon.
Locals are also calling for more dentists.
We miss it, it’s true. The latter are also attracted to work in MSP. The problem with this profession is that the training does not offer any internships in rural areas, only in university centers in large cities. It is often through the first internships and training that we attract professionals to the territory.
And for specialized professionals?
For specialized doctors at the hospital, we have retirements that we will have to fill. For this, we work in conjunction with the Rodez hospital. For example, we welcome one cardiologist per day from the structure, but we need a second one.
The Aveyronnais are also worried about maternity.
Maternity is also one of the important issues, impacted by the Rist law. We are particularly attentive to this and we are also working on recruitment and mutual assistance with Rodez.
Interview by Benoit Donnadieu