Medical deserts: Nevers wants to strengthen the air bridge between its hospital and the Dijon University Hospital

French mayors are doubling their inventiveness to combat medical deserts . The mayor of Nevers, Denis Thuriot, wants to strengthen the airlift he set up in January 2023. It will bring specialists, interns, and general practitioners from Dijon University Hospital by plane to supplement the teams at his city's hospital.

To combat the shortage of healthcare workers , Denis Thuriot wants to triple the number of flights. Specifically, this would mean adding two per week, whereas there is currently only one. The elected official is awaiting authorization. "We don't have fewer doctors than before, but we're still short. We have six or seven interns instead of around fifty," he explains.

Nevers Hospital doesn't have them because of the "prohibitive travel time" between the city in the Nièvre and Dijon. The 180 km journey takes 2.5 hours by car, compared to 35 minutes by plane. "Flying planes isn't a goal, it's a means. We mayors are struggling to find solutions to get them there, and we can't," laments Denis Thuriot.

"Like all the other mayors, I am waiting for a helping hand from the State to provide a little more incentive for medical professionals to cover our territory," the elected official demands.

The mayor of Nevers is asking for help because these flights are costly. The city spends €100,000 a year for one flight per week.

These round trips provide "a small solution to a big problem," believes David Boucher, CFDT union representative at Nevers hospital. They will never replace established doctors. "Nevers hospital is struggling, but so is the flow in Dijon. Operating rooms are closed. Some professionals fear that the shortage will spread," he warns. "The airlift is an additional, one-off service," adds David Boucher, but "the hospital needs a future."

The debate returns to the National Assembly on Wednesday to find a solution. A bill, co-signed by 250 deputies, seeks to regulate the establishment of healthcare professionals. But the government opposes it. François Bayrou favors the option of two days of replacement per month for each doctor in medical deserts.