The lack of doctors is increasingly felt in hospitals, so much so that the mayor of Nevers has decided to fly practitioners in. A public health initiative that raises questions, especially ecological ones.
This is the first time that Serge Douvier, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University Hospital of Dijon (Côte-d’Or), has flown to work. “It’s a little bit like James Bond”, he says with amusement. He goes to Nevers (Nièvre), almost 200 kilometers from his starting point, to operate in a medical desert. A step promoted by the mayor of the city of arrival which raises questions. The plane connects Dijon to Nevers in 35 minutes, compared to three hours by car and two and a quarter hours by train, on a line that will soon be under construction. Cost of the round trip: 5,600 euros, paid by the hospital.

The ARS is asking for a medical and economic evaluation of the operation

The hospital is short about fifty doctors. The solution today in the gynecology block is therefore an airlift, with a doctor who regularly comes to operate in Nevers and hopes that faster travel will attract more colleagues. The carbon footprint of this solution raises questions, both in the waiting room and on the streets. The mayor of Nevers puts forward the argument of the medical emergency. The regional health agency has asked for a medical and economic evaluation of the operation.