Waiting months for an appointment, driving an hour to see a GP, forgoing a recommended check-up: for many families, seeking treatment seems like an obstacle course. Lengthy bills, slow working days, mounting anxiety, the consequences are experienced on a daily basis. And the question comes up everywhere: who still has an accessible doctor near them?
An online survey conducted from December 10 to 12, 2025 by the Verian Institute for the French Hospital Federation, among 1,000 adults, puts figures on this discomfort. It reveals that “40% of French people say that it is complicated to obtain care where they live”. This proportion “rises to more than 50% in rural communities and towns of less than 20,000 inhabitants”. More than a third, 36%, even say they live in a
medical desert. As the 2026 municipal elections approach, these figures become very political.
Difficulties in accessing healthcare in France: glaring gaps between territories
In the countryside, the situation is the most tense: more than half of the inhabitants of rural communities consider access to care difficult. In total, 47% of French people find it complicated to see a general practitioner and 63% say the same thing about a specialist, including 24% who speak of a “very difficult” situation. Dermatologists and ophthalmologists are cited as the most difficult to find.
The public hospital remains at the heart of the system: 71% of French people say they are attached to it and more than 80% have been there in the last twelve months. For Arnaud Robinet, president of the French Hospital Federation, the continued deterioration of access to care constitutes a major warning signal and a risk for the social pact. It calls for a health programming law, capable of providing sustainable means to those on the ground and strengthening the provision of care in all territories.
Renunciation of healthcare: millions of French people affected
Tensions can already be seen in behavior: 81% of French people say they have given up on consulting a healthcare professional over the last twelve months. Between waiting times considered too long for 65% of respondents, the absence of specialists nearby for 60% and costs that are too high or insufficient reimbursements for 47%, sorting is often done to the detriment of an appointment. “This observation is serious, because behind it are poor health conditions, complications, damaged lives and a cost for health expenses.“, warns Zaynab Riet, general delegate of the French Hospital Federation on France Inter, who points to avoidable complications and an additional cost for health expenses.
Faced with this concern, those questioned also favor very concrete measures: 80% support the idea of prohibiting excess fees in areas already well equipped with doctors and 75% want the reestablishment of compulsory on-call duty at night and weekends for general practitioners.
For Arnaud Robinet, president of the FHF: “The French expect strong actions, at the national level and in the territories, to guarantee effective access to care, everywhere and for everyone. A health programming law is more necessary than ever to give those on the ground clear perspectives, sustainable means and the capacity to strengthen the offer, particularly in terms of prevention. The time of waiting is now behind us“.
Would structural reforms and a health programming law make it possible to better distribute professionals and secure their training?
Municipal 2026: health and municipalities under pressure
For municipalities, access to care becomes central. 70% of French people attribute a key role to them. This theme will weigh heavily in the 2026 municipal elections.