The number of medical appointments increased sharply the week of May 11, reaching "a level close to normal", due to the reopening of offices and a "catch-up effect" after two months of confinement, said Tuesday Doctolib.
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44% more appointments compared to the week of May 4
The French leader in the sector recorded 5.9 million appointments last week, 44% more than that of May 4. "A big recovery" first due to "a big catch-up effect", explains Stanislas Niox-Chateau, president of Doctolib, specifying that 20% of these meetings "had been canceled during confinement". The effect is even more pronounced among dentists, physiotherapists and podiatrists, whose offices have reopened massively since May 11, a small minority remaining closed (16%, 6% and 3% respectively).
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Hygiene measures limit consultations
But demand exceeds supply, because the coronavirus has imposed hygiene measures which oblige caregivers to limit their activity, still clearly "below the pre-crisis level" (-15% for doctors, -22% for dentists, -38% for physiotherapists). The consultations are also "a little longer" due to the "return of chronic patients who have not been seen for more than two months", adds Stanislas Niox-Chateau.
A teleconsultation boom
There is therefore a "risk of longer waiting times", partially offset by the boom in teleconsultation, which lasts on average half as long and remains for the time being "at about the same rate" as during the confinement, or about one million acts per week according to Health Insurance.