On Tuesday, the French unions of general practitioners are on strike and will take to the streets of Paris to demand that President Emmanuel Macron double their fees per consultation.
Currently, the “autonomous doctors” are health professionals working within the French public social security system without a relationship of dependency and charging for consultation.
Health Minister Francois Braun proposes to increase their remuneration by 1.5 euros, which would leave their salary at 25 euros per consultation. This rate would in turn imply an increase of 7,000 euros per doctor per year.
By making this proposal, however, the Macron administration once again rejects the request of the autonomous doctors who demand 50 euros per consultation.
Although authorities say that the proposal for an increase of 1.5 euros per consultation is just the beginning of a negotiation process, the outlook does not look rosy for the French doctors.
The French Union for a Free Medicine’s tweet reads, “We are all united in the face of contempt.”
In the best scenario, the Macron administration might be open to selective salary increases for those who agree either to be referral physicians for the chronically ill or to work shifts at night or on weekends.
The government also seeks that patients directly consult a physiotherapist but not general practitioners. These proposals, however, has been strongly rejected.
In France, patients can choose the doctor with whom they wish to be treated. This professional can be a public employee or a doctor who is paid by the social security system according to pre-established rates.
Government spokesman Olivier Veran said that accepting 50 euros per consultation would cost an additional 7 billion euros in the social security budget.
