Yasmina Kattou
France is sorely lacking in doctors. Faced with medical deserts, the government is seeking to relieve – a little – health professionals and allow them to absorb more flows. Among the avenues mentioned: massive recruitment of medical assistants. Europe 1 met one of them.
How to improve access to medical care: buses, nursing homes, medical assistants… The government unveiled a series of measures on Thursday to fight against medical deserts. Because there is urgency: nearly nine out of ten French people have trouble getting treatment.
So if there are not enough doctors, we have to free up time for them. This is the role of medical assistants in particular. Today, they are 4,000 in France. Objective: to recruit 6,000 more by the end of 2024.
A pillar of the medical practice
Taking a patient’s temperature, blood pressure, asking him the reasons for his visit… For nearly two years, Isilda Ancelin has been performing these tasks in place of the doctor. She was previously a secretary in a cabinet. After seven months of training, the medical assistant is now the doctor’s arm.
“When we have new patients, I see them before the doctor. I will fill in all their history, see if their vaccines are up to date, weigh them, measure them. On average, I schedule each time for new patients at least three quarters of an hour”, she explains at the microphone of Europe 1.
Allow doctors to see more patients
The assistant also helps patients after their consultation. “You have to know how to make all the emergency appointments with specialists for patients and I can spend a lot of time there because the specialists are not always reachable when you want them. So you have to renew the call”, underlines Isilda.
The medical assistant now works for three doctors. And thanks to her, they were able to consult more patients. Hiring a medical assistant makes it possible to carry out an average of two additional consultations each day.