French doctors begin 10-day strike: most GP surgeries expected to close

A shortage of GP and other medical appointments is expected in France over the coming days as healthcare professionals begin a major 10-day strike today on Monday, January 5. 

The strike, protesting several elements of the Social Security budget that passed last year, is being backed by seven leading unions for ‘médecins libéraux’ or independent doctors (those not working directly for the state in public institutions).

Up to 85% of doctors in these unions are set to strike according to the Confédération des syndicats médicaux français. 

In the capital region, the 'Jeunes médecins Ile-de-France' group has launched an online tool to count how many doctors in the area are striking, which has seen more than 15,000 confirm their plans to. This is the majority of 'médecins libéraux' and around half of GPs in the region.

However, as GPs and 'médecins libéraux' do not need to announce their intention to strike to the government in advance, exact disruption in areas cannot be fully predicted.

It means several doctor’s surgeries will remain closed over the coming days, and in some situations non-urgent and other medical operations may also be postponed. 

Healthcare professionals at private emergency departments and maternity wards are also on strike, meaning patients needing these services may be transferred to public hospitals.

Depending on the exact union and sub-sector, services may either be gradually withdrawn from January 5, or see a sudden halt from today until January 15.

For example, some staff that work in ‘blocs opératoires’ (operating theatres) will begin action on January 5, walking out for progressively longer hours before a total halt from January 10.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the state has not ruled out requisitioning doctors to ensure those who urgently need appointments are available. 

The government has been taking “measures for several days [to] organise continuity of care with the Regional Health Agencies (ARS), healthcare facilities, and the professionals themselves, so that our fellow citizens are not endangered during this mobilisation,” said Ms Rist, quoted in French media outlet FranceInfo.

What should patients do? 

The first thing to note is that some GPs and other doctors are not striking, and even those that are may still be providing medical care by going on ‘administrative strike’ (seeing patients but not filing paperwork, etc).

Call your GP or doctor’s office to see if any appointments are available, as it may be possible to find a slot.

If you need an appointment but your usual doctor is not available, you can check through websites such as Doctolib to see if any are available in your area, although such appointments may fill up quickly during the strike period.

If you have any prescriptions that are due to run out between January 5 - 15, try to renew them as quickly as possible to avoid going without the medicine. 

In some situations a pharmacist may be able to help if you could not renew it in time via your doctor.

Certain documents including sick-leave notes may take longer to be processed, so remain aware of any short-term financial implications. 

Other healthcare documents may not be shared correctly in your Ameli account’s Espace Santé, so keep hold of physical versions of these documents in case you need to show them to any other medical professional.

Check that any appointments for surgeries, operations, or other appointments you have scheduled outside of a public hospital over the strike period have not been cancelled. If they have, make arrangements for a new appointment date as soon as possible. 

For lesser health concerns, you can ask for advice at a pharmacy or another local healthcare professional you can find, or call a helpline such as SOS Médecins, if a GP is not available.

Note that on-call doctors are the first to be requisitioned to cover daily appointment shortages, which may affect their services (but should help you find an appointment through Doctolib or your usual doctor’s office).

Otherwise, emergency departments in public hospitals should be largely unaffected by the strike (as these workers are employed by the state), so for serious issues call 15 / go to the emergency department.

How long could strikes last? 

The initial strike period covers 10 days and is widely supported. 

Alongside the walkouts, several demonstrations are expected, including major protests in Paris on January 7 and 10.

Unions say the 2026 social security budget threatens France’s healthcare system by providing insufficient funding as well as excessive government intervention, notably including tougher sick-leave rules and the ability to unilaterally lower the cost of appointments without consulting unions in social dialogue. 

The government is standing firm on these measures, however. 

“There has been an exponential increase in these overbilling practices in recent years. Even if the abuses only concern a minority of doctors, we cannot leave the situation as it is,” said Ms Rist. 

With the government already committing to a larger social security deficit than initially proposed in the draft 2026 budget – and the lack of a wider budget in place at all – changes that incur extra government spending are unlikely to be supported. 

Healthcare unions have yet to file any motions beyond January 15 but without a compromise further action is possible.