Medical appointments in France: waiting times are skyrocketing

According to the third barometer of the French Hospital Federation (FHF), getting an appointment with a general practitioner now takes three times longer than in 2019. The average wait time has reached 12 days, compared to 4 days seven years ago, a trend deemed "alarming" by the FHF. Regional disparities remain significant: in most regions, the wait exceeds two weeks, except in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Hauts-de-France. Paradoxically, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is among the regions where people most frequently forgo healthcare (66% of residents over five years).

Among specialists, dermatology remains the most overbooked discipline, with an average wait time of four and a half months, followed by cardiology and ENT. Only ophthalmology and pediatrics show a slight improvement: the wait time for an ophthalmologist appointment has decreased by five weeks, while pediatric appointments remain around three weeks.

Regional disparities persist: Normandy holds the record for waiting times in dermatology (24 weeks), and Centre-Val-de-Loire for cardiology (18 weeks). In psychiatry, waiting times vary from 6 weeks in Nouvelle-Aquitaine to 20 weeks in Hauts-de-France. Île-de-France remains the best-served region, with waiting times below the national average.

Faced with these access difficulties, the French are changing their behavior: nearly one in two went to the emergency room last year for a non-urgent reason. Delays in care are worsening in hospitals due to a lack of available doctors, and 73% of those surveyed reported having forgone at least one medical procedure in the last five years.

  Frank Verain

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