By Dr. Jerome Marty, President of the UFML (French Union for Free Medicine)
We have been asking for ten years now that the basic price of the medical consultation should reach the European average, ie 50 euros, double the current price. We should also rather speak of a switch to a price of 25 euros net instead of 12 today – what we have left once the 55% of charges have been taken, that is to say too little to operate our offices properly. This seems essential to restore the attractiveness of our profession, encourage young graduates to settle more quickly than today and prevent the oldest from “moving” too quickly.
Liberal medicine remains the only one capable of bringing a caregiver closer to each patient in France, but it is still necessary to support it. Politicians talk about fighting against medical deserts, but none ask the question of why doctors are no longer there. However, we are realistic: the amount we want will not be achieved in a single year. However, we would like us to agree on the principle, and to be told how long it would take to get there. We also want the consultation fee to be indexed to inflation from now on.
On the other hand, we are opposed to fixed remunerations as well as to the assumption of responsibility by the community of our medical assistants. We defend a liberal spirit and entrepreneurial medicine. If the State knew how to manage health, hospitals would not be in the difficult situation that we know. Let us organize our cabinets as we see fit! And, moreover, that we simplify our lives by eliminating many unnecessary administrative tasks, and that we are authorized to charge for appointments not honored by patients. This will already free up a lot of medical time!
By Dr. Agnès Giannotti, president of the MG France union
We share the anger of the Doctors for Tomorrow collective, but not all of their demands. The essential thing, if we really want to improve access to care for our fellow citizens, is to revalue the function of attending general practitioner. Today, 40% of general practitioners do not play, or no longer play, this role of attending physician: many work on teleconsultation platforms or unscheduled care centers, where they perform acts, but no follow-up. An indiscriminate upgrading of all consultations would run the risk of pushing more professionals towards this type of exercise.
For our part, we would like to see the establishment of several levels of consultations, with recognition of long and complex appointments, which should be paid much better. Because taking care of a patient with several chronic diseases or a person with no medical history who consults for angina is not the same. We are also asking for a specific budget for the remuneration of medical assistants, which will allow doctors who so wish to free up treatment time, as well as an increase in the “patient care doctor” packages, because they remunerate our commitment to support our patients for a long time.
With this package of measures, we believe that access to care would be improved, and that the pressure exerted on each doctor would decrease. Provided that the means are at the rendezvous. However, the envelope announced by the social security financing law for this year seems insufficient in relation to the needs. Negotiations with Medicare will continue, but if the sums devoted to city medicine are not up to par, MG France will not sign the new medical agreement.
