Study Reveals Urban Bias in New French Doctors’ Practice Locations
A recent study by Insee highlights that young general practitioners in France increasingly prefer to settle in major urban areas and near their medical schools. Nearly 60% of doctors who began practicing in 2019 established their practices close to their birth regions, particularly in the Grand Est. The report indicates a significant concentration of new doctors in cities with populations over 200,000, contributing to geographic disparities in healthcare access. Notably, the overall number of general practitioners decreased by 5.6% from 2012 to 2021, exacerbating regional inequalities in healthcare provision.