Overview

• The Garot bill, introduced by PS deputy Guillaume Garot, seeks to regulate where doctors can establish practices to address France's medical deserts.
• Unexpected support for the bill has emerged among rural MPs from Les Républicains, challenging the party's traditional stance on doctors' free practice installation.
• Health Minister Yannick Neuder, also from Les Républicains, opposes the bill, highlighting growing intra-party divisions ahead of the Senate debate.
• Healthcare professionals and unions continue to protest the legislation, citing threats to professional autonomy and dissatisfaction with proposed solutions.
• France faces a critical shortage of primary-care physicians, with nearly six million residents lacking access to a GP and 87% of the country classified as underserved.