Anaïs Werestchack, a general practitioner, and Brice Philippon, a physiotherapist, have been traveling around France in a van since January. But they didn’t choose their route based on the landscapes: the two caregivers went to medical deserts with the goal of reaching out to health professionals in these areas and raising awareness about the lack of access to care.
In the town of Castellane (Verdon), where they have had replacements in recent weeks, “people wait one to two months to see the doctor and sometimes three to six months to see the physiotherapist”, explains Anaïs Werestchack to BFMTV.
“Here everyone complains, (for) the slightest examination with a specialist you have to go to Digne or Grasse”, a town located 50 kilometers from Castellane, confirms a resident.
Sometimes “dramatic” situations
According to the site vie-publique.fr, the notion of medical desert refers to the low density of health professionals in a territory and the high number of patients that a doctor has. In France, almost one in three people lives in a health desert, with Île-de-France being the most affected region, according to a Senate report published in 2022.
Anaïs Werestchack and Brice Philippon say they have treated more than 5,000 patients since they hit France’s roads in January. “When we started, we told ourselves it was going to be hard, but I don’t think we realized how dramatic it could be,” says the doctor. After an intense year and 20,000 kilometers traveled in France, the caregiver couple will take a vacation in Auvergne.
Source: BFM TV
