Last week, the president of Alpes-Maritimes, Charles-Ange Ginésy, presented the program to combat medical desertification, a priority for the department.
“Medical desertification is a major issue in rural areas. Access to healthcare has been a priority for the inhabitants of our territory and its future since the beginning of this health crisis,” said Charles-Ange Ginésy at the plenary assembly last Friday.
For several years, the department has been pursuing a health policy that has notably enabled the acquisition of cutting-edge equipment dedicated to research or innovative treatments. It has also made possible equal access for citizens to services and healthcare throughout the department.
For 2022, the department intends to continue this commitment by strengthening its fight against medical desertification with its plan “stop medical deserts”. Thus, starting in 2022, several concrete actions will be deployed.
“Health center” program
At the beginning of 2022, the departmental council will open a health center in Puget-Théniers. The objective: to address the decrease in the number of general practitioners in rural areas and the highlands, as well as retirements.
A connected booth and a mobile unit
A telemedicine booth connected to the administrative center will be installed to ensure the department is at the forefront of the strong development of digital health practices.
A scholarship
Medical students from their 3rd year, and nursing or physiotherapy students will be eligible for financial support. In return, they will be required to commit to settling in underserved areas for a minimum of 5 years. This initiative will be developed further starting in January.
Specific “young established doctor” bonus
Young doctors setting up in rural areas will be rewarded with a “young established doctor” bonus. However, the young doctor must commit to settling for a minimum of 3 years in a rural area to receive this bonus.
Support for the installation of healthcare professionals
The department aims to continue the measures taken to maintain healthcare professionals in the mid and highlands, including installation assistance capped at 5000€.
