SNCF will deploy telemedicine spaces to combat medical deserts in about 300 stations by 2028, announced this Friday SNCF Gares et Connexions, a subsidiary that manages nearly 3,000 French stations. The stations selected to benefit from the system will be “located in priority intervention zones (ZIP) and zones of concerted development (ZAC), characterized by an insufficient care offer and difficulty in accessing care”, that is, 1,735 potential stations, it explains. SNCF Gares et Conexiones in a press release.
“Ten million people pass through the stations every day and 90% of the population lives less than 10 km from a station,” underlined Raphaël Poli, general director of retail at Gares et Connexions, to justify the relevance of the system. To deploy this offer, the SNCF subsidiary chose the company Loxamed, created during the health crisis. It is owned by the public works rental company Loxam and the company Capitello Med, specialized in connected medical solutions. Loxamed had already installed Covid-19 detection centers in the forecourts of the main French stations in 2020.
Price of a sector 1 consultation
Launch is expected to begin next year. Initially, the telemedicine spaces will be installed in “15 m2 boxes on the station esplanades, during work at the stations,” said Arnaud Molinié, president of Loxamed, promising “comfortable, welcoming places to take good care of patients.” in teleconsultation”. A nurse certified by the State will always be present on site and the patient will be “examined remotely by a doctor practicing on French territory”, according to SNCF Gares et Connexions.
Loxamed will contact the regional unions of health professionals (URPS) to find independent nurses available to participate in the system and independent doctors “who can free up time for it,” detailed Arnaud Molinié. The precise locations for the establishment of these telemedicine spaces will be decided in consultation with the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and local authorities. It will be possible to make an appointment on site or online through traditional appointment booking platforms such as Doctolib.
“The price will be the same as that of a classic consultation in sector 1,” according to the statement, and the opening hours will be based on the “ebb and flow of travelers” at the designated stations.
Source: BFM TV
