To combat medical deserts, the SNCF would like to offer consultation hours in train stations. Telemedicine rooms must be set up in around 300 French train stations by 2028. This was announced by SNCF Gares et Connexions, a subsidiary of the railway groupFriday, November 17th.
The selected stations will benefit from the system “Located in priority intervention zones (ZIP) and concerted development zones (ZAC), characterized by inadequate supply and difficulties in accessing care”, explains SNCF Gares et Connexions in a press release. In total, this is 1,735 potential stations out of the 3,000 stations managed by the subsidiary.
“Ten million people pass through train stations every day and 90% of the population lives within 10 kilometers of a train station.”underlined Raphaël Poli, General Director of Retail at Gares et Connexions, to justify the relevance of the system.
The locations were determined in consultation with the ARS and the municipalities
To implement this offer, the SNCF subsidiary chose the company Loxamed, founded in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and owned by the public construction landlord Loxam and the company Capitello Med, specialized in connected medical solutions. Loxamed had already installed Covid-19 screening centers on the forecourts of major French broadcasters at the end of 2020.
First, the telemedicine rooms will be installed “Boxes of 15 square meters on the pitches (…)the working hours in the stations »Arnaud Molinié, President of Loxamed, suggested promisingly “comfortable, welcoming places where patients can be well cared for during teleconsultations”. A state-certified nurse and the patient are always on site “examined remotely by a doctor practicing on French territory”according to SNCF Gares et Connexions.
Loxamed will contact the regional health professional unions (URPS) to find freelance nurses and freelance doctors who can participate in the system “Who could spare time for that?”more detailed Arnaud Molinié.
The exact locations for the establishment of these telemedicine rooms will be determined in consultation with the regional health authorities (ARS) and local authorities.
It will be possible to make an appointment on site or online via classic appointment booking platforms such as Doctolib. “The price will correspond to that of a classic sector 1 consultancy”says the press release.
