Night doctor call-out service marks 1,600 visits in year one
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Médecins de garde Monaco, the home doctor call-out service running from 7pm to 7am, has handled 1,600 interventions since launching a year ago.
Médecins de garde Monaco marked its first anniversary this week with 1,600 home visits logged since the service began, confirming what health officials had suspected: residents needed a reliable way to see a doctor outside daytime hours without heading to Princess Grace Hospital's emergency department.
The scheme lets anyone in the Principality call for a physician between 7pm and 7am, with doctors dispatched to treat minor ailments, infections and other non-critical issues at home rather than in a waiting room. For families with young children, elderly residents and those living alone in Monaco's denser districts such as La Condamine or Fontvieille, it has become a practical alternative to an overnight hospital trip.
The volume of call-outs over twelve months points to a genuine gap in after-hours care that the service has filled, rather than a slow start for a scheme still finding its audience. With demand established, attention now turns to how the programme is staffed and funded as it moves into its second year.