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Shortage of caregivers, increase in deductibles and distances… Since April 1, patients have had to pay 4 euros out of their pocket per trip. A desire by the government to “empower them” and control health spending. But in the Loire department as in others, the more the healthcare supply becomes scarce, the more the transport needs increase.
Paulette waits for Jérôme Baranger, her taxi driver for the day, on her doorstep, between two pansy planters, his prescription for the trip in hand. At 10:30 a.m., on this Wednesday in April, we set off on yet another journey. The slightest delay can disrupt the day’s schedule and we must not be idle, as patient demand is high, given the medical desertification. The tense situation in Maine-et-Loire reflects that of France: per 100,000 inhabitants, there would be 350 doctors in 2023 in the department, just above the national average.
The former housekeeper stopped driving when she learned she had breast cancer thirty-four years ago. She would have done well without all these return trips by taxi between her home in Nueil-sur-Layon and the Angers University Hospital, 65 km away. “I didn’t want to see this road anymore”, comments the flirtatious 90-year-old lady, black patent shoes, white scarf matching her newfound hair. She followed “a treatment
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