International audience This article, introducing the notion of « first-aid line » in the analysis of the « medical wasteland », is carried out through a double exploratory movement. On one hand, it shows how the first-aid line practitioners are forced to act as a tension absorber on a territorial scale when admittance to healthcare services is hindered by distance or poor geographical accessibility. On the other hand, it highlights the internal transformations these organizations implement when they are themselves faced with a lack of health professionals.