1,000 doctors took turns. A town got its clinic back.

A network of traveling doctors has begun filling France's rural "medical deserts" one week at a time, and a small town in the Creuse department shows why the idea works. When Ajain's longtime family doctor retired in late 2020, the municipality of 1,000 people, two bakeries and a great many cows tried everything to recruit a replacement. National press coverage, promotional videos, formal lobbying. Nothing. Then a young doctor named Martial Jardel phoned the mayor with an unlikely pitch. Instead of asking a lot of a few doctors, ask a little of many. His nonprofit, Médecins Solidaires, recruits general practitioners to cover a rural clinic for a single week, then hands off to the next. The first center opened in Ajain in 2022. Since then, more than 1,000 doctors have signed up, 15 centers have opened, and 26,500 consultations have taken place. Ninety-nine percent of participating doctors say they want to return. Half already have.