The Pamiers citizen association, through Michèle Goulier, elected Pamiers citizen, gathered on Monday, June 5, in the presence of Marie Cécile Rivière of the Association of Rural Mayors of France for Ariège and the naturopath Maylis Lemouland to announce the establishment in Ariège of the Association of Citizens Against Medical Deserts (ACCDM).
Launched in Mayenne, in November 2016 by Maxime and Elodie Lebigot, the ACCDM wishes to assert the rights of all patients suffering from medical deserts in France. It claims “loud and strong that with equal contributions, the right to health must be equal for all, regardless of the region of residence”.
A national issue
Essential theme of the previous electoral campaign, access to care for the French raises questions throughout the national territory. Last October, the citizen association Pamiers already mentioned during a public meeting concerning the health offer in Pamiers, the creation of a local branch of the ACCDM.
In terms of healthcare provision, the city of Pamiers, like Ariège, suffers from a lack of general practitioners despite its status as the largest city in the department. Based on the report of the Court of Auditors, Michèle Goulier, indicated that “between 2012 and 2018, the number of general practitioners fell by 70%. Pamiers, which was in a white zone, has become an area without a note. There are today nine general practitioners for 16,000 inhabitants, including three who are over 60. This problem is also felt at the national level with nearly 8 million French people who do not have access to a general practitioner.
For the association, the current solutions do nothing to help the demographics of doctors. It campaigns for a territorial network of doctors, as is already the case for pharmacists, notaries, bailiffs. It wishes to avoid new installations in over-resourced areas, while encouraging the installation of these young doctors in under-resourced areas.