Medical deserts: the first “junior doctors” in general medicine take up their duties

Three thousand “junior doctors”, the first for whom the general medicine internship increases from three to four years, arrive on Monday in practices, homes and health centers for a year of internship, intended to complete their training and encourage them to settle in medical deserts. These young general practitioners have already defended their thesis, but must, following a reform adopted in 2022, continue their training, which now extends to ten years, compared to nine previously (first cycle, externship and internship included), aligning with that of specialist doctors.

Like a doctor registered with the Order, they provide consultations, care and monitoring of chronic illnesses, but remain under the responsibility of an internship supervisor. The government hopes that their deployment will facilitate access to care and ultimately, facilities in cities, particularly in areas where the needs are most acute. Around 80% of them were assigned to areas with great difficulty accessing care (Zip, Zac, and city policy districts), according to the Ministry of Health. Their final year is broken down into two six-month internships.

The vast majority will work 4 days a week in an office, multi-professional health center or health center. More rarely, others go to work in a health establishment, following their professional project. Like all interns, they are paid: a little more than 2,700 euros monthly, with an additional 400 euros of “supervised autonomy” bonus, plus a bonus of up to 1,000 euros (depending on the remoteness of the area), and another for the guards, according to the ministry.

Their distribution depends in particular on health needs and the number of supervisors who have been able to be trained. Ile-de-France will, for example, welcome 400 junior doctors, including 74 in Seine-Saint-Denis, 64 in Essonne, or 58 in Paris, according to the Regional Health Agency (ARS). There will be 102 of them in Center-Val-de-Loire, at the heart of the medical “diagonal of the void”, including 21 in Loir-et-Cher and Loiret, 18 in Eure-et-Loir or 16 in Indre. “All of the training grounds” are in an under-dense zone, indicates the health authority of this region.

There will also be 241 in Occitanie, with for example 59 practitioners in Haute-Garonne, 35 in Gard, 14 in Aveyron, or 6 in Lot and Lozère.