The town of Bucquoy will no longer have any doctors after October 31. The three caregivers based in the village will retire on that date and no replacement has been found.
Distraught patients. In Bucquoy, in Pas-de-Calais, the last three doctors in the town, aged 62, 63 and 67, will retire on the same day, October 31. A situation that leaves more than 3,000 patients without solutions.
“I have multiple sclerosis. How can I get treatment? We don’t know,” one of these patients despairs on BFMTV. Another resident believes that “it’s going to be complicated for everyone,” with the departure of the three doctors leaving a medical desert.
From November 1, to find a medical practice near the town, “you have to go to Croisilles, which is about 16 kilometers away,” notes Anne-Marie Barbier, mayor of Bucquoy.
A teleconsultation booth installed
The councillor had nevertheless done everything to find their replacements. “We had taken the decision not to charge rent for two years to a young doctor who came to settle in Bucquoy”, explains Anne-Marie Barbier. But this decision was not enough to convince a caregiver to settle.
Faced with this situation, an emergency meeting is planned for September 25 with the various stakeholders in the region, in particular the regional health agency.
In the meantime, to avoid having to travel too far and get a medical appointment, there remains a teleconsultation booth installed at the end of 2023 in the pharmacy. “The interest is to respond to an ear infection, a sore throat, flu symptoms… We still have an older population and they will not necessarily be able to travel,” explains Céline Roche, pharmacist.
Since its installation, 120 people have already benefited from this device. A number that could explode after the departure of the three doctors, even if this cabin “will not respond to all illnesses”, recalls the pharmacist.
Vincent Vieillard, Parissa Javanshir and Alicia Foricher
