The French Union for Free Medicine wants a “symbolic” measure to reduce the number of slots missed by patients.
How to deal with missed medical appointments? The French Union for Free Medicine (UFML), one of the main unions of general practitioners, may have a solution: “A financial penalty“, according to the proposal of Jérôme Marty, president of the UFML Friday in The Parisian. According to him, it is necessary “hit the wallet”. «We know that many French people cannot afford to pay for a consultation that is not honored. This is why we want this sanction to be symbolic, of 1, 2 or 3 euros“, explains the general practitioner. Who adds: for a few years, “no more general practitioners are accepting new patients” because of the proliferation ofrabbits».
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If a lot of slots are taken, it is because patients take several appointments to be sure of knowing one without necessarily canceling those to which they will not go. With the amount collected, Jérôme Marty hopes that the money “return to a fund that would be created in favor of medical deserts.” : “It would be used to buy equipment and set up medical houses”. If he puts this proposal in the debate, it is up to the politicians, according to him, to make a decision to solve this problem. On its website, the union offers general practitioners a poster to put up in their offices to prevent this phenomenon. While the appointment booking platforms had been quite effective during the vaccination campaign against Covid-19, the president of the UFML also raised his voice against them: “platforms have created a consumerism of skincare. I don’t mind that we forget, but the platforms send reminder messages. Just notify the secretary or the doctor.»