The liberal doctors begin their second week of strike. Many patients may find themselves helpless in the face of the prolonged absence of their attending physician.
The liberal doctors are called to continue this week the strike movement started the day after Christmas to obtain a revaluation of the consultation, announced Monday the collective “Doctors for tomorrow” at the initiative of the mobilization.
After a first movement on December 1 and 2, the collective had called for the closure of doctors’ offices from December 26 to January 2. Health Insurance estimated between 5 and 10% the decline in activity of general practitioners last week, the collective affirming Monday that it was around 70%.
Whatever the extent of the mobilization, some French people may, again this week, find themselves faced with a closed door when going to an appointment or a free consultation with their attending physician.
In this case, several alternatives are available to them, to avoid going to the emergency room – overloaded in the midst of a triple epidemic – if their state of health does not necessarily require it.
Substitute, Doctolib, pharmacies…
Several scenarios are available to you depending on your needs. Initially, “if you need to go to your GP to renew your prescription and get prescribed medication that you take regularly, you can go to a pharmacy that knows you well and that can help you out, given context,” he told news.fr Dr. Mélanie Rica-Henri, one of the collective’s spokespersons.
If you are sick and need to consult a health professional in the absence of your general practitioner, the first reflex to adopt is to call his office. It is possible that a substitute doctor, and not a striker, provides consultations for the incumbent general practitioner.
If not, you can make an appointment with another GP who is accepting new patients. This solution is possible via health platforms such as Doctolib or Qare. They will often offer teleconsultation.
As for the cost of the consultation, plus the fact of not going to your GP, an exception is made taking into account the period. “The doctor who takes over from his colleague on strike ticks the ’emergency’ box on the care sheet to consider that the course of care has been respected”, indicated the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) to news.fr.
Call 15 before going to the emergency room
However, the alternatives listed above may not be possible at short notice. Always before going to the emergency room, call 15 to contact the Samu.
“Calling 15 remains strongly recommended, before going to the emergency room, in order to be redirected to the most suitable solution for your health problem, depending on the place and the time”, also specified the Ministry of Health. Health at news.fr.
The Samu can, for example, direct towards an unscheduled care center which calls on salaried doctors – therefore little affected by the increase in the price of the consultation – who welcome patients over large hourly amplitudes.
SOS Médecins, in the territories concerned
The federation does not follow the strike movement of liberal doctors. So, the 63 associations deployed in several dozen French departments can make it possible to obtain an appointment thanks to a telephone service that can be reached 24 hours a day.
It will nevertheless be necessary to be patient, because the deadlines have been extended with the strike and the holiday season, specified the site Capital.
