Defined by article L. 1411-11 of the French Public Health Code (CSP), primary care includes not only care provided by general practitioners and some specialists who can be accessed directly, but also advice from pharmacists, nursing care, physiotherapy, dental care and treatment provision by speech therapists and psychologists. In France, access to this type of care is becoming increasingly difficult, to the point where part of the country has been described as a "medical desert". The importance of this care - sometimes also referred to as primary or first-line care - has nevertheless been recognised and promoted for over forty years by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In France, it has been enshrined in a number of laws designed to improve coverage of needs by making the healthcare system more efficient. For these reasons, the financial jurisdictions have continued their examination of public support for the organisation of primary care, which began in 2023 with an analysis of support from local authorities.
