The NGO Doctors of the World is alarmed by the deterioration of the conditions of access to care for the poorest, against a backdrop of a generalized crisis in the health system, according to a report made public on Thursday 8 December.
In the 22nd report of its observatory on access to rights and care, Médecins du Monde paints a particularly gloomy picture of the situation of the 15,355 people, 97% of whom live below the poverty line, who in 2021 moved to one of its 14 reception, guidance and care centers (Caso).
According to data from the NGO, the number of consultations increased from 11,888 consultations in 2020 to 15,050 consultations in 2021. Almost all (97%) are foreigners.
More than half are in an irregular situation (53%) or in a “
precarious administrative situation
”, and 12% of them are asylum seekers.
Among the public received, nearly three out of ten people live in very precarious housing in slums or squats, on the street or in emergency accommodation.
Read alsoHow local hospitals facilitate access to care
This precariousness has consequences on health: the most frequent pathologies noted are digestive, osteoarticular and dermatological.
Nearly 6 out of 10 patients seen suffer from a chronic pathology.
This poor state of health is coupled with a distance from the healthcare system.
50% of people are behind in their care, while 80% of people give up care for lack of means, notes the NGO.
Among the people received in the Caso and eligible for medical coverage, "
8 out of 10 people do not have it
", laments Doctors of the World.
A renunciation due to the administrative complexity and the language barrier, lack of interpreters, points out the report.
The absence of prevention is also underlined by Doctors of the World, while "
89% of women aged 15 and over who do not wish to become pregnant declare that they do not use any contraception
".
The NGO also underlines the lack of screening of the patients received: nearly 75% do not know their HIV serological status.