The liberal doctors are called to take to the streets Thursday, January 5 in Paris to obtain a revaluation of the consultation, the government saying it is ready for it if it is ” within reason “ and yes “the health needs of the French are met”.
The Doctors for Tomorrow collective, supported by several unions – Federation of Doctors of France, French Union for Free Medicine, Union of Liberal Doctors, Young Doctors – was expecting several thousand demonstrators in its procession, which was to leave the Pantheon around 1 p.m. 30 to rally the Ministry of Health, where a delegation must be received.
In addition to general practitioners, who are expected to make up the bulk of participants, organizers hope the ranks will be bolstered by patients. “They are the ones who are affected by the abandonment of city medicine by the State and who will be the victims”underlines the founder of Doctors for tomorrow, Christelle Audigier.
This mobilization is timely, on the eve of the “wishes to health actors” that President Emmanuel Macron must present, Friday in Essonne, to formulate the main axes of “refoundation” of a care system that is at the end of its tether, in the hospital as well as in the city.
“Not Responsible”
After a first resounding strike at the beginning of December, Doctors for tomorrow called for the closure of medical practices after Christmas, a movement extended until January 8. This group says that 70% of general practitioners were on strike last week, Medicare estimating for its part the drop in activity at only 10%. The movement was sharply criticized by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who judged it “really not responsible” because it increased « the tensions [à] the hospital » during winter epidemics. The central demand of the collective remains the doubling of the basic consultation rate (from 25 to 50 euros) to create a “attractiveness shock” towards a city medicine in lack of arms, crushed by administrative tasks and which no longer appeals to young people.
“Let’s be reasonable”, replied Thursday morning François Braun. But if he closed the door to 50 euros, the Minister of Health reiterated that the consultation would be well revalued within the framework of the current negotiation of the convention binding the liberal doctors to the Health Insurance for the five years coming. “I am ready to increase this consultation as soon as the health needs of the French are met”he underlined, taking up a principle of ” rights and duties “ become his mantra. “We are increasing consultations, but I want the 650,000 French people who are chronically ill to have a general practitioner, because they do not currently have one, I want us to be able to have a doctor at night, on weekends. end…”he developed.
« Extravagant »
An amount of “50 euros would be relatively extravagant”added the director of Medicare, Thomas Fatôme, noting that several of the main doctors’ unions, such as MG France, the Confederation of French medical unions and Avenir Spé, did not make this claim.
This is also the case for the young general practitioners of the Autonomous Grouping of Young General Practitioners Installed and Substitutes (ReAGJIR). If he “shares the profession’s fed up with the cruel lack of resources (…) and the deterioration of the situation”this syndicate estimates that doubling the price of the consultation would not “not wise” at the time “where many French people are already experiencing great financial difficulties and access to care”.
Doctors’ organizations, on the other hand, are forming a common front against the proliferating legislative proposals to restrict the freedom of establishment of practitioners in order to repopulate medical deserts. The government rather defends a sharing of tasks with other caregivers, in particular nurses, some of whom could be authorized to prescribe. A bill to this effect, brought by Renaissance MP Stéphanie Rist, will arrive in the Assembly next week. The GP unions are already up in arms against this text, like the first of them, MG France: “If this text passed, the movement of anger would increase. »