Overview
- Orders run from December 25 to January 4 to ensure out-of-hours primary care when many practices are closed for the holidays.
- Assignments include eight doctors in La Ciotat, five in Aubagne, three in Martigues, and one in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, with each doctor scheduled either 8 a.m.–midnight or 8 p.m.–midnight.
- The department is the only one in metropolitan France with an out-of-hours coverage shortfall above 50%, and after failed calls for volunteers the ARS selected non‑exempted doctors who had taken no guard shifts for the year.
- Authorities say the move aims to reduce overflow to hospitals, with the region reporting about 450 flu-related hospitalizations last week and a 17% year-over-year rise in emergency admissions locally.
- Some of the doctors, notably in La Ciotat, criticize the short notice and plan to petition the administrative court after the holidays, and noncompliance with requisition orders carries potential criminal penalties.