French general practitioners across the Côte d’Azur have joined a nationwide strike that began on Monday and will continue through 15th January, with an estimated 85 percent of doctors participating in protest against proposed social security reforms.
The walkout, which has already seen over 15,500 physicians register as strikers across France, will cause considerable disruption to healthcare services. Surgeries will be postponed, prescriptions will be difficult to obtain, and sick leave authorisations will be delayed as doctors close practices to all but chronically ill patients.
The action targets proposed social security financing legislation that would give government power to modify reimbursement rates for certain procedures and increase control over sick leave authorisations.
Alternative solutions for patients
Patients unable to obtain prescription renewals can approach pharmacists, who now have authority to extend treatments for chronic conditions. Recent pharmacy reforms grant pharmacists access to patient care histories, allowing them to continue necessary medications without doctor consultation.
However, treatments requiring medical examination or where renewal is not automatic will prove more complex. Teleconsultation booths recently installed in some pharmacies offer another option, though wait times outside strike periods already reach 45 minutes to 90 minutes, and could extend to three to four hours during the walkout.
Government requisitions
Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on Sunday that measures have been implemented to organise continuity of care with regional health agencies and healthcare establishments. Prefects can issue requisition letters to striking doctors, legally requiring them to provide care and suspending their right to strike.
Requisitions are determined by local healthcare availability. If regional authorities identify high strike participation threatening care access, they can compel specific practices to remain open. Doctors cannot refuse requisition orders.
Emergency services under strain
Patients requiring urgent care should call SAMU (15) before attending emergency departments, according to regional health agencies. Already hospitalised patients will continue receiving treatment, but those arriving at emergency departments or maternity wards will be transferred to public hospitals except in life-threatening situations.
Emergency services are expected to experience intense saturation during the 10-day period. SOS Médecins France, which supports the strike, will operate with some structures closed and others providing minimum service.
Strike tactics
Beyond practice closures, participating doctors are conducting a coordinated withdrawal from administrative systems. The strike includes refusal to use the Carte Vitale electronic health card system, forcing reversion to paper reimbursement forms, and rejection of the shared medical file (DMP) database that doctors are refusing to complete.
The peak impact is expected between 10th and 15th January, when the highest number of doctors will be off work simultaneously. Medical unions acknowledge the mobilisation will penalise patients but maintain they attempted to anticipate disruption by seeing urgent cases beforehand and rescheduling appointments where possible.
Underlying grievances
The strike reflects deeper tensions in French healthcare beyond the immediate legislative trigger. Doctors report constant pressure over prescription patterns and sick leave authorisations from health insurance monitors, particularly when treating complex patient populations requiring more intensive care.
Administrative burden has become a major complaint, with paperwork consuming time that doctors argue should be spent with patients. Practitioners object to what they describe as unilateral government decisions that bypass conventional negotiation processes with medical professionals.
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Photo credit: National Cancer Institute
