Delays in medical appointments

[Blaze]

I'm quite used to booking the gynaecologist a year in advance and a mammogram 6 months ahead. Dermatologists and ophthalmologists are well-known to be hard to get.
The wait for an echographie is ..... 4 months !!! I have a swollen Achilles tendon (tendonitis) and unsurprisingly, it's not considered urgent and I'm starting physio tomorrow.

[Bayleaf]

One of my elderly clients had to make an appointment to see a neurologist at the pain clinic - next April was the earliest. Mostly because of the few hours that the clinic is actually open.

I tried to make an appointment (probably a year or so ago now), about a new mole on my waist area. Just couldn't get a RDV, and eventually the mole just fell off and didn't leave a mark (no, it wasn't a raisin! )

Our village GP is leaving at the end of the year, returning to her family in Spain as there's a family emergency. There is no replacement for her yet.

[Lori]

Called to make an appointment with a Parodontologue (with a recommendation from my Dentist), next available appointment (unless your teeth were falling out) was for April 2025. Okay.

[DaveW]

I guess it’s a post code lottery. I need a new dentist and the problem is who is the best, I can get an appointment with all in Doctolib within a week but the one’s I have been recommended by friends aren’t using that software. It must be cost or a tight arse issue.

[Quiksilver]

Pretty much the same here. Recently had a bit of a scare and was surprised to have to wait three weeks for a dépistage result and even more surprised that there's no specialist consultation before the end of November. As for the GP, he's just swanned off on holiday for a month....no remplaçant, not a word to the patients It's not good, is it?

[Blaze]

It must be cost or a tight arse issue.

More and more specialists are going over to Secteur 2 and depending on your mutuelle contract, you can end up being paid back partially or not at all.
I had to pay extra when I had my thumb prothèse done as did OH for his knee job. But it was worth it and neither of us had long waits.

[DaveW]

I seen my doctor a couple of days ago and he told me was thinking of doing the same so he could spend more time with patients and what did I think. His consultation fee would double.

I go every six months for prescription renewals so I told him that I would be going elsewhere.

[Blaze]

he told me was thinking of doing the same so he could spend more time with patients and what did I think

It's understandable if a doctor feels he's treating patients like a sausage machine. But in some areas it would be difficult to find another MT and not everyone would/could pay the extra cost (it depends on what the mutuelle will reimburse - if indeed everyone has a mutuelle).
It's difficult for a doctor who wants to do the best he can for his patients but doesn't have the time to do so.

I'm sure that this is the way many medical practitioners are going to go, particularly MTs. It's going to get even more difficult to find a cabinet who will take you, even more so because many of today's young doctors don't want to be on call 24/24.

Government cuts a few years ago to the number of medical students is having a disastrous effect today given that medical training can be 10 years for specialists, sometimes more. When we first came to France, it had one of the best health services in the world but when you have a government who would rather spend millions depolluting the Seine (and failing) for the Olympics than on health care, what can you do ? We've already seen the problems government cuts to health services caused when Covid reared its head....

[MAD87]

I'm lucky enough not to have to wait for specialist appointments, and our GP can give us appointment within a few days.
The other side of the coin is doctors working up to 70 hours/week, not good for them or for the patient.

[Hotrodder]

Pretty much the same here. Recently had a bit of a scare and was surprised to have to wait three weeks for a dépistage result and even more surprised that there's no specialist consultation before the end of November. As for the GP, he's just swanned off on holiday for a month....no remplaçant, not a word to the patients It's not good, is it?

No, it's not. And has a very familiar ring to it. We went for our 6-monthly visit to our doctor for prescription renewals. Usually able to book an almost immediate RDV by phone we couldn't get through so just turned up at his office at opening time. Office closed. No notice, nothing. Went to the pharmacy where we always went for our meds and asked if they knew anything. "He's gone." I asked why and got no meaningful answer. I had been seeing him for over 20 years and rated him 100%. No advance notice, no email, nothing posted on the door, zilch. Not very professional, but Hey, this is France.
Happily the pharmacist gave us a small amount of our meds to carry us until we could find another MT. He also suggested we try another doc not too far away. He was happy enough to take us on and as a bonus he has no problem understanding Franglais.

As some people say, it is becoming a post code lottery finding doctors here now, and don't even dream of finding a sector one dentist anywhere in rural France. I have often questioned the wisdom of settling here at the back of beyond but at the time I was underfunded for anything habitable and lost my free caretaking accommodation so had to find something fast. As chance would have it, I found a derelict half an hour from my old place and was able to carry on with the same doctor. I see now that I have been lucky in more ways than not.