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HEALTH

Where in France is there a shortage of doctors?

The French government presented on Thursday its plan to combat the country's lack of doctors in certain regions. But which areas of France suffer most from the shortage?

Published: 13 October 2017 17:25 CEST
Where in France is there a shortage of doctors?
Photo: Depositphotos
To tackle the country's doctor shortage the French government has proposed to double the number of health centres, develop telemedecine services (for example consultations over the phone and online) and improve the delegation of tasks between medical professionals.
 
But where exactly in France is it easiest to find a doctor, and where is it hardest?
 
According to a survey from January 2017 by the French medical authority Ordre National des Medecins, there are eight parts in France where a higher than average number of doctors operate. 
 
The survey used the old regional system, when the country was split into 22 different regions instead of today's 13. 
 
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The dark blue areas on the map indicate the departments where there are more that 450 doctors per 100,000 people. The light yellow shows the worst case scenario, indicating the departments where there are fewer than 290 doctors per 100,000 people. 
 
The light blue, turquoise and green show the areas that fall in between the two.  
 
Unfortunately for those in Brittany, the region was among the worst served in France, along with Corsica and the old regions of Pays de la Loire,  Centre-Val de Loire, Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardie, as well as the country's overseas territories (except la Réunion). 
 
But there was some good news for those living in the south of France, with the popular Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region (PACA) region coming at the very top of the list. 
 
Close behind were the former regions of Aquitaine, Limousin, Poitou-Charentes, Bourgogne, Franche-Comté and the greater Paris region of l'Ile-de-France.
 
In these regions there are mostly upwards of 390 doctors operating per 100,000 people, and in some cases even more.  

HEALTH

Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

Denmark's government has struck a deal with four other parties to raise the point in a pregnancy from which a foetus can be aborted from 12 weeks to 18 weeks, in the first big change to Danish abortion law in 50 years.

Published: 3 May 2024 08:06 CEST
Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

The government struck the deal with the Socialist Left Party, the Red Green Alliance, the Social Liberal Party and the Alternative party, last week with the formal announcement made on Monday  

“In terms of health, there is no evidence for the current week limit, nor is there anything to suggest that there will be significantly more or later abortions by moving the week limit,” Sophie Løhde, Denmark’s Minister of the Interior and Health, said in a press release announcing the deal.

The move follows the recommendations of Denmark’s Ethics Council, which in September 2023 proposed raising the term limit, pointing out that Denmark had one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Western Europe. 

READ ALSO: 

Under the deal, the seven parties, together with the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives, have also entered into an agreement to replace the five regional abortion bodies with a new national abortion board, which will be based in Aarhus. 

From July 1st, 2025, this new board will be able to grant permission for abortions after the 18th week of pregnancy if there are special considerations to take into account. 

The parties have also agreed to grant 15-17-year-olds the right to have an abortion without parental consent or permission from the abortion board.

Marie Bjerre, Denmark’s minister for Digitalization and Equality, said in the press release that this followed logically from the age of sexual consent, which is 15 years old in Denmark. 

“Choosing whether to have an abortion is a difficult situation, and I hope that young women would get the support of their parents. But if there is disagreement, it must ultimately be the young woman’s own decision whether she wants to be a mother,” she said. 

The bill will be tabled in parliament over the coming year with the changes then coming into force on June 1st, 2025.

The right to free abortion was introduced in Denmark in 1973. 

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