“5,700 well-being practitioners will no longer be able to use our services”, announced the president of the platform on Wednesday evening.
Doctolib is “refocuses “. Two months after the controversy over naturopaths listed on its site, the French heavyweight in medical appointments is modifying its range of services. “We have decided to refocus exclusively on professionals referenced by the health authorities “, said Wednesday the president of Doctolib, Stanislas Niox-Chateau.
Thereby, “5,700 wellness practitioners will no longer be able to use our services “. These naturopaths, sophrologists or even hypnotherapists have a deadline of “six months to find another solution “, he specified. This choiceseems logical “After the heated controversy triggered at the end of August on social networks. Caregivers then criticized the platform for referencing naturopaths with dangerous practices, close to quackery or sectarian aberrations.
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Faced with criticism relayed by the Order of Physicians, Doctolib had initially suspended around fifteen accounts. He also had “strengthened its verification procedures », notably making it impossible to make an appointment before the effective control of the right to practice.
After “six weeks of consultations “with health orders, caregiver unions, patient associations, etc., the ax has fallen. Even though “wellness activities have their place and are legal “, they are not “not framed» and there is «no way to check skill levelof those who practice them, explains Stanislas Niox-Chateau.
“We take our responsibilities“, adds the boss of Doctolib, acknowledging the”legitimate expectations“around his group”become a trusted third party in the health sector», with 170,000 caregivers subscribing to its services in France. Even if it means giving up a few million euros in income, at the rate of 100 euros per professional and per month. Because, adds the boss,it is this trust that will make the difference in the long run“.
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