2023-07-25 00:06:05
They pursue the “same public interest”. The new Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau on Monday refuted any “conflict of interest” linked to the functions of his wife Marguerite Cazeneuve, number two of Health Insurance.
“There is no conflict of interest” which can arise from the respective responsibilities occupied by the couple, “because we pursue (…) the same public interest, which is that of ensuring access to care for our fellow citizens” declared the minister, on the sidelines of his first public trip to a multi-professional health center, in Magny-en-Vexin (Val-d’Oise).
Aurélien Rousseau also assured that he would go “offset” for all questions personally involving his wife, managing director delegated to the care offer of the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam). “There may be organizational issues” that may arise from this situation, but “I asked the Prime Minister (…) for a deportation decree on all my wife’s personal situations”, he said.
The High Authority for Transparency will decide
The government’s legal secretariat, which had been requested prior to his appointment, gave the green light, subject to this “deportation” mentioned by the minister. The High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life, which must rule on the deportation mechanisms, will examine the file, Aurélien Rousseau also indicated.
Asked about a risk of short-circuiting the director general of the Cnam, Thomas Fatôme, the minister again invoked, with this manager, “a convergent commitment (…) significantly greater than all individual situations”. “I was under his authority when he was deputy chief of staff (to the Prime Minister) and I was director general of the Île-de-France Regional Agency”, recalled Aurélien Rousseau.
Her husband being now Minister of Health, will Marguerite Cazeneuve be able to remain number 2 of the Health Insurance? Yes, answer the government and the Cnam, but on condition that Aurélien Rousseau “steps away from any decision” concerning her.
— Nicolas Berrod (@nicolasberrod) July 21, 2023
The new minister went Monday with his colleague in charge of the organization of care, Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo, in a multi-professional health center, one of the tools encouraged by the government to respond to medical desertification. These care structures bringing together private practitioners and paramedics, who promote teamwork, should make the facility more attractive to young professionals. The government has set a target of 4,000 houses of this type in France by 2027, compared to more than 2,250 today.
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