France expands digital health tools to combat medical deserts

France is increasingly utilizing digital health solutions to combat medical deserts, where many regions face a severe shortage of specialists. In the field of ophthalmology, a network of 2,000 opticians has adopted the LYLEOO teleophthalmology platform. This system allows opticians to collect vision data and transmit it to partner ophthalmologists, who can provide medical opinions or prescriptions in less than 24 hours. This initiative has reportedly supported over 250,000 patients without additional costs to the Social Security system.

Parallel to specialized care, teleconsultation booths are expanding rapidly to address general practitioner shortages in rural areas. The number of these booths in France has tripled in three years, reaching approximately 6,000 units. Most are located in pharmacies, which often serve as the final healthcare contact point in many communes. These booths allow patients to use connected medical tools—such as stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors—to conduct video consultations with remote doctors.