"Many people are unaware of how the French healthcare system works and come to the emergency room without needing to": what is this new medical center set up in Nice near the Pasteur Hospital?

This is the second medical center to open in Nice, after the one in Saint-Roman-de-Bellet in July 2024. The goal is always the same: to try to address the continuing decline in the number of general practitioners. "What we are experiencing in Nice is a reflection of a national crisis," says the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi. "In four years, we have lost 8% of our general practitioners in Nice, 43% of them are over 60, and less than 10% of consultations are done at home [...] Too many people in Nice find themselves without a primary care doctor, isolated and deprived of access to care."

For patients, it's business as usual: appointments can be made on Doctissimo, with the service open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City provides the premises—two equipped consultation rooms—and a municipal receptionist. Private doctors, for their part, can thus concentrate on their consultations, freed from the problems of running a practice. Five general practitioners will work in shifts, as well as a psychologist and a midwife (1).

" ^At Sa int-Roman-de-Bellet, we have passed the 1,500 consultations mark, and 580 new patients have been able to find a doctor," says Joëlle Martinaux, general practitioner and emergency physician, president of the Safe G association, and designer of this model of the Medical Center. "And here , the slots fill up quickly."

300 visits to the emergency room per day

The Medical Centers complement the On-Call Medical Centers (open late in the evening, one of which exists at the Pasteur Hospital), and the Multi-Professional Health Centers (MSP), overseen by the ARS (2). ^Moreover , Joëlle Martinaux has already started the process of obtaining this MSP label, in order to benefit from additional financial aid. So, why not create an MSP directly? "It takes a lot of time to get the ARS certification, whereas here we can get started more quickly," explains Joëlle Martinaux.

Julie Contenti, head of the emergency department, also welcomed the opening of this medical center. "Many people are unfamiliar with how the French healthcare system works and come to the emergency room without needing to," she explains . "This will allow us to effectively redirect patients." Chris tian Estrosi agrees: "We 've gone from 50,000 emergency room visits 10 years ago to 100,000 today. And in June, we've already exceeded 300 visits per day three times, whereas normally that doesn't happen until July."

Diabetes and childhood obesity

In addition to consultations, the medical center will conduct vaccinations, screenings, prevention workshops, and other health checkups throughout the year. "In this neighborhood, there is a prevalence of diabetes and childhood obesity," analyzes Hervé Cael, emergency physician, president of the regional council of the Order of Physicians and municipal councilor. "Thanks to this Center, patients will be able to benefit from monitoring of these chronic pathologies, as well as real advice."

Near the Pasteur Hospital, the Medical Center is located on the ground floor of 27 rue Delvalle. "This is no coincidence," explains Christian Estrosi. "Upstairs, you'll already find the European center managed by the Côte d'Azur University, Ulysseus, which provides innovative training for future general practitioners. And on the second floor, we also have the university hospital institute for respiratory diseases and aging, led by Professor Hofmann and Professor Marquette, two international luminaries."

1. Doctors interested in the scheme, particularly those who wish to gradually retire and consult one or two days a week, are asked to make themselves known.

2. There are also Territorial Professional Health Communities (CPTS), which bring together professionals from the same area who wish to organize themselves on their own initiative. There are also Health Centers, mainly located in disadvantaged urban areas, where health professionals are employed.

A 3rd medical center in 2026 on rue d’Italie

A third medical center is scheduled to open in early 2026, at 17 rue d'Italie, covering 414m2, with six consultation rooms on two floors , Christian Estrosi said. A fourth is planned for the Pont Michel block within two years.