Doctor's offices and medical centres across France closed on Monday, as doctors launched a strike action which they say is unprecedented in scale. The strike was called by unions representing médecins libéraux - that is, doctors who work in the community such as GPs, paediatricians and specialists. AdvertisementMédecins généralistes (GPs or family doctors), who are self-employed and run their own offices, are also angry at proposals to force doctors to work a certain number of days in 'medical deserts', or areas with a shortage of doctors. The unions say around 85 percent of doctors are following the strike action, and they expect a significant rate of closures of doctor's offices. Other doctors say they will be offering only emergency appointments.

Source: The Local January 05, 2026 14:38 UTC