Doctolib will delist unregulated professions, such as naturopaths and magnetizers, announces its CEO

The video had aroused general indignation: on August 22, the collective L’Extracteur, which wants to denounce pseudo-medicine, published extracts from an interview during which Irène Grosjean, a nonagenarian figure in naturopathy, recommended “to rub” the genitals, immersed in icy water, of feverish children, in order to put them to sleep. Beyond this case, certain beliefs and practices of naturopathy, such as advocating fasting to cancer patients, came to the surface. Indirect target of this controversy, the Doctolib platform, leader in France in making medical appointments, accused of also offering professions “non-medical”, as deplored by the order of physicians, had announced the launch of a consultation with the authorities and professional orders. Its CEO, Stanislas Niox-Chateau, announces to the World the findings of this audit.

At the end of the summer, Doctolib was the indirect target of a controversy over the choice to reference, alongside health professionals, non-scientific practices – magnetizers, naturopaths, etc. Two months later, what choice has your company made?

It is a decision which is strong and which was not easy: we are going to refocus on the regulated professions. Therefore, only professionals who have an ADELI or RPPS number, which are referenced by the health authorities, will be able to use the services of Doctolib. This means that 5,700 practitioners, who are currently users of our services and who carry out only well-being activities, will no longer be able to use Doctolib’s services. They have a transition period of six months, in accordance with our contractual conditions, to reorganize their management of appointments.

Is this the conclusion of the consultation that you launched in August, after the controversy?

Following the reports of the month of August, we spent a little over six weeks discussing with around forty actors: health authorities, health orders, representatives of professionals, patient associations… And there was a consensus to say that well-being activities are legal, can be integrated into care pathways, are sometimes practiced by health professionals. But the health authorities do not supervise them. There is, moreover, no objective and exhaustive means of verifying the level of qualification, training or diploma of the practitioners who exercise them.

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