Despite a brand new office, the promise of a pleasant quality of life between sea and mountains and the presence of numerous services on site, Touët-sur-Var is unable to recruit a general practitioner.
The Figaro Nice
For sixteen months, a large banner has been flying above the main street of Touët-sur-Var, in the Nice hinterland (Alpes-Maritimes), between the stone facades of two houses. “The municipality is looking for its general practitioner” is written in capital letters. An original advertisement deployed after the departure in May 2023 of the doctor in place, who left to join her husband near Chamonix. “We thought we would quickly find a replacement”confides the councilor Roger Ciais. A year and a half later, it’s a bit of a cold shower. “We don’t despair, but still, it’s incomprehensible”he laments, while no replacement has been found to date.
This is because to “lure” its GP, the town of 750 souls had pulled out all the stops from the start. For the arrival of the former doctor who had left for the Alpine peaks, a custom-made office had been set up in the old school, with all the equipment necessary for practicing the profession. At her request, a brand new studio had also been installed to accommodate an intern on an ad hoc basis. All for the trifle of 500 euros per month, including 100 euros for the studio. No need to worry about the patient base either, as the mayor reminds us: “When he left, our doctor had a full schedule of appointments for a month, or even a month and a half! In addition to the residents of Touët, there are also the residents of the neighboring retirement home.”
Quality of life and services
The mayor of the small town of character, located 45 minutes from Nice, also boasts an incomparable quality of life, between sea and mountains.We are in a rural revitalization area with all the services one could ask for. We have a butcher, an organic farm, a grocery store, a tobacconist, a media library, a gym, three restaurants, a bakery and even a municipal theater.”he lists precisely. A framework into which over the years a speech therapist, an ophthalmologist, two physiotherapists, a private nurses’ office have slipped in… Not to mention a dental practice set up in the old town hall. An almost complete puzzle with only one piece missing, that of the general practitioner. “Without “For this service, you have to travel ten kilometers to Puget-Théniers to consult it,” Roger Ciais breathes.
In addition to the banner, the mayor went to medical schools to look for a good candidate, without much success. “Young people prefer to work in the city, no one wants to come to the countryside anymore and that’s a shame. Firstly because doctors in the area earn a very good living but also because today’s country doctors are no longer the same as yesterday’s. Our former doctor worked exclusively via the Doctolib platform.”he continues. Ironically, Roger Ciais, who thought he would quickly find a young doctor “from the area”, was put in touch with three potential candidates: a Greek, a Spanish woman and a Lebanese man. But none of the three ultimately followed through with the process.
In the department, despite the presence of around 2,200 general practitioners, several sectors are particularly suffering from medical desertification. Like the Esteron valley, very close to Touët-sur-Var. “What do you want, the only figure that is increasing today is the number of people retiring!”joked in May 2023 Professor Philippe Paquis, neurosurgeon in Nice and president of the Council of the Order of Physicians of the Alpes-Maritimes, when questioned on the subject.It is common knowledge that the hinterlands are under-dense in terms of medical services. This is a national problem that we escaped for a while due to the quality of life offered by the Côte d’Azur, but which affects us today as it does everywhere else.”he had analyzed.
