In the southern French town where Tunisian doctor Tasnime Labiedh practices, the far-right National Rally (RN) recently secured 41% of the vote in the first round of legislative elections, causing Labiedh to contemplate emigration to Switzerland. This sentiment is shared by many of her North African colleagues, reflecting growing concerns about the political climate in France.
Dr. Labiedh, a 33-year-old microbiologist, moved to France in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic for her medical internship and now earns less than her French counterparts. The RN’s electoral success has heightened her apprehensions about the future under RN leader Jordan Bardella.
“Already we are not spoilt here, but if we have Bardella as prime minister, it will be grim. They play on the fear of the other,” Labiedh remarked, underscoring the anxiety among foreign medical professionals regarding the RN’s stance on immigration.
The RN’s rise has prompted doctors of foreign origin to reconsider their place in France. Out of 11 North African doctors interviewed by Reuters, six are considering leaving due to concerns about their treatment and the country’s political trajectory. One doctor recently emigrated to Canada.
Polls predict the RN will secure the largest share of seats in the French Parliament, though not a majority. This uncertain political environment exacerbates the existing issues facing foreign doctors, who often navigate complex registration processes and receive lower pay than their French peers.
France has a significant doctor shortage, with only 3.17 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest among OECD countries. In Labiedh’s town, the ratio is even lower at 1.73 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants. This shortage is more acute in areas where the RN has performed well, typically regions with limited healthcare access.
Hicham Benaissa, a sociologist at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), highlighted the paradox in France’s dependency on immigrant labor: “The far right prospers in France on the subject of immigration, with migrants depicted as a problem. But if migrants stopped working tomorrow, our whole social and economic system would be paralyzed.”
A study led by Benaissa, involving 350 North African doctors in France, revealed that 75% are contemplating emigration. This includes both those trained abroad and those born in France, indicating widespread dissatisfaction among foreign medical professionals.
The RN did not respond to requests for comment. However, Bardella has previously stated that foreign nationals who work, pay taxes, and respect French laws “have nothing to fear.” Despite this assurance, RN leader Marine Le Pen has proposed measures to “drastically reduce” the employment of non-EU-qualified doctors and prioritize French candidates.
As of 2023, 29,238 doctors working in France were trained outside the EU, marking a 90.5% increase since 2010 and constituting about 7% of the medical workforce. North African doctors account for more than half of this group.
Doctors with qualifications from outside the EU must undergo extensive exams and administrative processes to be officially registered in France, a procedure that can take three to five years. During this period, they often receive lower compensation than their French colleagues.
Widad Abdi, a representative of the SNPADHUE union for non-EU-qualified doctors, argues that the political focus should address structural issues within the healthcare system. “Whether foreign or not, more and more doctors are leaving – the health system does not encourage them to stay: the working conditions, the pay, the hours, the number of patients has increased, and the number of doctors has gone down,” Abdi stated.
The RN’s success correlates with regions experiencing poor healthcare access, where the lack of local doctors forces patients to rely on emergency services for routine care. In towns that favored RN candidates, more than a quarter of the population lacks access to a local doctor, compared to significantly lower percentages in areas supporting other political groups.
Dr. Leila Elamrani, an emergency room doctor from Morocco, noted the strain on services due to a combination of an aging population, insufficient resources, and high patient volumes. “People don’t have GPs, so they come here for a cold, for a doctor’s note to take sick leave. That, plus an aging population and lack of resources, creates a huge mess.”
Lydia Boumaarafi, a French doctor of Algerian heritage, recently relocated to Canada, partly due to its more favorable approach to multiculturalism. “The situation is now at a climax (with the RN vote), but the climate has been this way for a while,” she observed, reflecting a growing trend among foreign doctors to seek opportunities in more welcoming environments.
The future remains uncertain for many North African doctors in France, as they weigh their professional prospects against an evolving political landscape that increasingly influences their decision to stay or leave.
