Overview

• Doctors across France began an open-ended strike on April 28, with a national demonstration planned for April 29, opposing both the Garot bill and the government's counter-proposals.
• The Garot bill seeks to regulate doctor installations by requiring approval from regional health agencies, a move denounced by practitioners as undermining their freedom of practice.
• The government's alternative plan includes mandatory consultations in underserved areas and expanded medical education, but these measures have failed to ease tensions within the medical community.
• Medical professionals argue that the root issue is an absolute shortage of doctors, with six million people lacking a primary care physician and eight million living in medical deserts.
• Union leaders and medical students warn that coercive policies could exacerbate existing challenges, including extreme workloads and high suicide rates among young doctors.