Overview

• Over 5,000 medical professionals, students, and interns demonstrated in Paris and Lyon on April 29, opposing the Garot bill's restrictions on doctor placements in well-served areas.
• The indefinite strike is supported by major medical organizations, including the Order of Physicians and SOS Médecins, highlighting widespread opposition within the profession.
• The Garot bill aims to combat medical deserts by requiring regulatory approval for doctors to settle in regions already deemed adequately served, a measure critics call coercive and ineffective.
• Protesters argue the bill fails to address systemic issues like workforce shortages and lack of infrastructure, instead imposing undue constraints on professional autonomy.
• The French government, which opposes the Garot bill, has proposed an alternative solidarity plan focused on mandatory consultations in underserved areas, financial incentives, and educational reforms.