Another Example of France's Legendary Solidarity and the Unbridled Efficiency of the Country's Social Services

A hospital in northern France serving tens of thousands of people and facing closure was snubbed by the French medical fraternity but has been given the kiss of life by a massive influx of foreign doctors

Emmanuel Barranguet reports.

Fourmies hospital, in the economically stagnant region of northern France, was in intensive care and about to expire in 1991 despite being part of one of the most generous and efficient health services on the planet — because no one wanted to work there.  …

In 1991 Fourmies' future was on the line despite the fact that it was the only hospital within one hour's drive for a community of 100,000 people.  

"There were just seven doctors left, all of them about to retire," says Legros. He placed advertisements for staff in medical journals around the country but to no avail. 

With an unemployment rate hovering around the 17 percent mark, an industrial landscape blighted by recent tumultuous economic change and a rigorous winter climate, the Fourmies region was not a first choice for France's ambitious medical class.  

"The French simply did not respond," he says.