ALBAWABA - It has been revealed that France plans to introduce a fine of five euros ($5.50) for people who fail to show up for their doctor's appointments, as announced by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Saturday. Attal revealed several measures hoping to improve the country's healthcare system, which is struggling to meet the needs of its aging and expanding population.
"We can't allow this," Attal emphasized, referring to the 27 million missed appointments reported annually by the main doctors' union.
The proposed fine aims to free up between 15 to 20 million appointments for other patients and will apply to anyone who misses an appointment or provides less than 24 hours notice. Doctors will have the choice to exempt patients from the penalty for valid reasons.
That's not all, the government also plans to increase the number of medical students completing their training to address the shortage of doctors.
Shutterstock
The goal is to raise the number of students entering the second year of medical degrees from 10000 in 2023 to 16000 in 2027.
However, the impact of these changes may not be felt until 2035 due to the lengthy process of medical training. Also, a pilot program will allow patients to directly schedule appointments with certain specialists without a referral from a general practitioner, a departure from the current protocol.
While the proposal aims to address the issue of doctor accessibility, some critics, including the main union for general practitioners, MG France, argue that it may not fully resolve the underlying problems in the healthcare system.
