Maghrebi doctors consider leaving France amid far-right’s rise
June 30th saw the far-right National Rally (RN) win 34% of votes in the first round of French elections, causing many medical professionals who immigrated to the country to consider leaving, reported Arab Weekly and Reuters on July 5th.
In the southern French town where Tunisian doctor Tasnime Labiedh works, National Rally won 41% of the vote in the first round of elections. The 33-year-old medic now considers moving to Switzerland in fear of the ramifications of what could be the first far-right government elected since the Nazi occupation of France in World War II.
“Already we are not spoilt here, but if we have (Jordan) Bardella as prime minister, it will be grim. They play on the fear of the other,” said Labiedh, referring to the president of RN.
Labiedh immigrated to France in 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to undergo a medical internship. She currently works as a microbiologist, earning less than her French counterparts. Some doctors of foreign origin are concerned about whether their rights will be respected under a far-right government that has based its policies on an anti-immigration stance.
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6 out of 11 doctors of Maghrebi origin or nationality interviewed by Reuters considered leaving France due to its political situation, with one doctor said to have already emigrated to Canada.
France suffers from one of the most severe doctor shortages among OECD countries after Luxembourg, with 3,17 doctors per 1,000. This results in the use of the term ‘medical deserts’ as many areas lack healthcare staff. Labiedh’s town has 1.73 doctors per 1000. Doctors who have immigrated to France or are of foreign origin are critical for hospitals to function in regions with poor healthcare access.
Hachim Benaissa, a sociologist at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CRNS), told Reuters of the country’s immense sense of hypocrisy towards immigrants. “The far-right prospers in France on the subject of immigration, with migrants depicted as a problem. But if migrants stopped working tomorrow our whole social and economic system would be paralysed,” stated Benaissa.
A study conducted by Benaissa, due to be published next year, found that out of 350 doctors of North African background, 75%, including people who were trained abroad and those born in France, were considering emigrating.
In June, National Rally’s Bardella stated, “Our compatriots of foreign nationality or origin who work, pay their taxes, respect the law and love our country have nothing to fear.” However, the politician did advise that French nationals of “foreign origin” should not be appointed to posts considered “sensitive.”
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Marine Le Pen, leader of RN, previously proposed to “drastically reduce” the employment of doctors who have gained qualifications from outside the EU whilst prioritising French candidates for jobs.
The National Council of the Order of Doctors (CNOM) found in 2023 that 29,238 doctors working in France were trained outside of the EU, a 90.5% increase from 2010. This accounts for 7% of the workforce, of which Maghrebi doctors account for more than half.
To be registered with the Order of Doctors as a medical professional with qualifications outside of the EU, doctors must complete exams and administrative procedures for 3-5 years whilst receiving less pay than French doctors.
“Whether foreign or not, more and more doctors are leaving, the health system does not encourage them to stay: the working conditions, the pay, the hours, the number of patients has increased and the number of doctors has gone down”, said Widad Abdi, a doctor and representative of the SNPADHUE union for doctors qualified outside of the EU.
Polls predict the National Rally will win the largest share of seats in parliament but will fall short of a majority. If the RN does secure a majority, Maghrebi doctors may leave the French healthcare system, which may include more discriminatory policies towards foreign workers. This could lead to greater pressure on France’s already struggling healthcare system.
Lydia Boumaarafi, a French doctor of Algerian heritage, stated, “The situation is now at a climax (with the RN vote) but the climate has been this way for a while,”.
Arab Weekly/ Reuters and agencies
