Rural areas struggle to attract doctors. This sad reality, Patrick Laine, 66, observes in a brutal way. Nine months ago, this general practitioner posted an ad on Le Bon Coin, offering to sell his practice located in Saulnot, Haute-Saône, free of charge.
A tempting proposition, which has still not found a taker. However, Patrick Laine gives up everything:his office, his patients and his medical equipment. But nothing helps:no one seems to want to settle in this town of 800 inhabitants. "It's beyond my understanding," he told France Bleu . The doctor, who wants to retire after a stroke, works between 12 and 15 hours a day, six days a week. This busy schedule could, according to him, be the explanation. "Doctors of my generation don't shy away from hard work. But it's true that today, working at least 12 hours a day must be scary. I even proposed to divide this working time between two doctors, but I have no more success”, he regrets.
Patrick Laine is not the first general practitioner to call on Le Bon Coin and the initiatives of the municipalities to attract young doctors are multiplying. And for good reason:since 2007, the number of GPs has decreased by 8.4%.
