{"id":24520,"date":"2025-04-28T08:19:46","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T07:19:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Statement-of-Support-for-French-Junior-Doctors.pdf"},"modified":"2025-05-12T18:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T17:12:30","slug":"statement-of-support-for-french-junior-doctors-2","status":"inherit","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/statement-of-support-for-french-junior-doctors-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement of Support for French Junior Doctors"},"author":17,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"description":{"rendered":"

Statement of Support for French Junior Doctors<\/a><\/p>\n

Statement of Support for French Junior Doctors<\/p>\n

April 2025<\/p>\n

Context<\/p>\n

The Junior Doctors Network (JDN) of the World Medical Association (WMA) is closely monitoring the
\nongoing debate surrounding a motion from the French Parliament which seeks to better serve medically
\nunderserved areas (\u201cmedical deserts\u201d) in the country. The proposed legislative reform aims to address
\nregional disparities in healthcare access by mandating certain professional obligations for junior
\ndoctors, including compulsory establishment of physicians in designated under-served areas and the
\nmandatory participation of doctors in the national on-call duty system (\u201cpermanence des soins\u201d).
\nWhile the intention to strengthen healthcare delivery in underserved regions is understood and
\napplauded, the affected doctors across the country have expressed their opposition, calling for a model
\nthat respects their freedom of career choice as physicians; one that safe-guards their well-being while
\nbalancing service delivery to the population and protects the individual doctors’ autonomy.<\/p>\n

Key Concerns and International Best Practices
\n1. The proposed restriction on the freedom of establishment violates the civil rights of physicians:
\ntheir ability to choose their area\/region of practice. International standards, including the WMA Statement on Physicians Well-Being (2015)<\/a>, emphasizes that autonomy in career decisions is
\ncritical for professional satisfaction, workforce stability, and ultimately, the quality of patient
\ncare.
\n2. The implementation of mandatory on-call duty should take into account compliance with the
\nEuropean Working Time Directive (EWTD). This is important to prevent burnout among doctors
\nand to ensure patient safety. Long shifts contribute to fatigue-related errors.
\n3. The combination of mandatory geographical assignments and compulsory on-call duties may
\nexacerbate poor working conditions in already pressured settings. Rather than enhancing
\nservice provision, these constraints have the potential to discourage new graduates from
\nentering or remaining in the profession especially in the field of primary care, more specifically
\nin the areas that are of the greatest unmet need.<\/p>\n

Support for Collective Action
\nWhen physicians’ working conditions deteriorate, collective action\u2014including protests\u2014is a legitimate
\nmeans of advocacy (WMA Statement on the Ethical Implications of Collective Action by Physicians, 2012; reaffirmed 2022<\/a>). The WMA JDN stands in solidarity with French junior doctors in their call for
\nfair employment conditions, just remuneration and professional autonomy. We affirm that healthcare
\nreforms must be developed in partnership with those directly affected and grounded in respect for the
\nrights and contributions of medical professionals.<\/p>\n

The WMA JDN, together with French junior doctors, call on the French government to engage in
\nmeaningful bilaterals with junior doctor representatives to consider alternative models that align with
\nboth healthcare equity goals and physician well-being, with the ultimate objective of enhancing patient
\ncare.<\/p>\n

About the World Medical Association Junior Doctors Network (WMA JDN)
\nThe Junior Doctors Network (JDN) serves as an international platform for junior doctors to facilitate an
\nopen dialogue of global events and activities that are relevant to their postgraduate training and the
\nWorld Medical Association (WMA). Its mission is to empower junior physicians to work together towards
\na healthier world through advocacy, education, and international collaboration.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about the WMA JDN here<\/a> or contact us at chair.jdn@wma.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to WMA Press releases here<\/a>.<\/p>\n"},"caption":{"rendered":"

Statement of Support for French Junior Doctors Statement of Support for French Junior Doctors April 2025 Context The Junior Doctors Network (JDN) of the World Medical Association (WMA) is closely monitoring the ongoing debate surrounding a motion from the French Parliament which seeks to better serve medically underserved areas (\u201cmedical deserts\u201d) in the country. The […]<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"","media_type":"file","mime_type":"application\/pdf","media_details":{"filesize":101691,"sizes":{}},"post":null,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Statement-of-Support-for-French-Junior-Doctors.pdf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wma.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24520"}]}}