Paris (France) (AFP) – Arms for medical deserts: 2,700 “junior doctors”, general practitioners at the end of training, arrived in practices on Monday for a year of “professionalizing” training supposed to encourage them to settle down, an expected “boost” but insufficient, given the extent of the shortage.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 18:33

They have already defended their thesis, but must, following a reform adopted in 2022, continue their training for one more year. This increases to ten years in total, compared to nine previously, aligning with specialist doctors.

These "junior" general practitioners can provide consultations, care and monitoring of chronic illnesses, but remain under the responsibility of an internship supervisor, generally in a private practice, multi-professional health home or health center.

The government hopes that their deployment will facilitate access to care and, ultimately, private facilities, particularly in areas where the needs are dire.

For this, 80% of them were assigned to areas with great difficulty accessing care, according to the Ministry of Health: “priority” (Zip), “complementary” (Zap) intervention zones and neighborhoods classified as city policy (QPV). Their distribution also depends on the number of supervisors who have been able to be trained.

For example, there are 400 junior doctors in Ile-de-France, 241 in Occitanie, or 102 in Center-Val-de-Loire, at the heart of the medical “diagonal of the void”.

For some overwhelmed doctors, it's a breath of fresh air.

"It's a great hope": "that of finding, perhaps, a successor at the time of retirement", testifies to AFP Sylvaine Le Liboux, 63 years old and the last liberal general practitioner in Valençay (Indre), who had "five 20 years ago". It follows 2,000 patients compared to 1,100 on average per general practitioner in France, and welcomes two junior doctors.

“I want to show them that general medicine in the countryside is no longer like it was 30 years ago: if we work with medical assistants, in coordination with nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists”, and other doctors in the department, “it is possible” to preserve their private/professional life balance, she assures.

“Poorly put together”

The reform is, however, "poorly put together", she judges: these young doctors "are salaried (from university hospitals), which does not give them the reflexes of liberals. Paying them as replacements, with a retrocession of fees, would have been more educational".

“This tenth year, professionalizing, was to train us in aspects little covered in class: business management, accounting, management…” but “the government has botched the implementation a bit”, and “we wonder if it will be of any use”, adds Eleonore Indianna, spokesperson for the union of interns in general medicine, Isnar-Img.

The level of autonomy and responsibilities "were addressed very late", and will be unequal depending on the internship, according to her.

In medical deserts, the union considers possible "a small impact" with the discovery of "a territory, a functioning", but without guarantee that they will stay. “It will not revolutionize access to care,” according to the organization.

Around 100,000 general practitioners practice in France, according to official statistics. Some 6.7 million French people do not have a GP, or 11% of the population, and up to a quarter in certain areas.

According to the national college of teaching generalists, 2,682 junior doctors have just started their internship, and 600 will join them in May, some of whom were unable to complete their thesis on time.

“The ++ + brought by this reform, I find it difficult to grasp”, confides Pierre-Alexandre Lecomte, junior doctor in a multi-professional health center in Angoulême, where he has already completed “two internships”. However, he will discover exercise in prison, one day a week.

The information on the reform "having arrived late, we often approached people we already knew" but "I would have preferred to be able to settle down directly, in the same place", while being better paid, he emphasizes.

Junior doctor in Derval (Loire-Atlantique), Rémy Saunier is "bitter": "every day I pass through towns where there are 'search for doctors' signs. I was ready to settle in a priority zone, take on new patients. Finally, I will see patients who already have a doctor. I don't see the point."

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.