This is one of the major concerns of the French: their access to health services. The government acknowledged in 2023 that 87% of the territory was a medical desert. The offer is very unevenly distributed, often too absent from rural areas and suburbs. However, it was necessary to wait until the last hours of the campaign for these early legislative elections for the theme to become established. The answers to the problem are quite succinct in the programs of the three blocs, present in the second round.
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Combating medical desertification and drug shortages or strengthening hospitals: these are the main proposals of the three main blocs competing in the legislative elections on health matters.
Medical deserts: different visions to resolve them
The presidential camp wants to increase the number of medical students (second year) to 16,000 by 2027, compared to almost 11,000 today. The Macronists want to continue the movement of delegations of medical acts to other professions (vaccination by pharmacists, adaptation of the prescription of glasses by opticians, etc.) to reach around twenty delegated acts.
The New Popular Front, for its part, defends a desire to “rregulate the installation in medical deserts and reestablish the permanence of liberal caregivers [gardes, NDLR] in health centers ” He also wishes ” make the opening of private clinics conditional on participation in on-call care and the guarantee of zero remaining costs » for the patient.
The National Rally, which came out on top in the first round and is best placed to implement its plans, wants a ” easing of employment-retirement accumulation arrangements for doctors and nurses “, to encourage them to continue working. It also wants to eliminate income tax on their activities. The National Rally also plans to increase the number of medical students and “ strengthen support for caregivers. »
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Hospital: recruitment for some, reductions in structures for others
The New Popular Front plans to engage in “ a multi-year recruitment plan for healthcare and social-medical professionals “, and of “ start catching up on missing positions ” at the public hospital.
The RN wants to reduce the weight of administrative services in hospitals (to less than 10% of staff) and eliminate the Regional Health Agencies.
The presidential camp, for its part, has included in its program for the first hundred days the “ deployment of a healthcare access service in 100% of departments. »
Please note that the Rise of the RN worries foreign doctors and public hospitals. While the National Rally (RN) came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections, the prospect of seeing the far right win an absolute majority is worrying at the hospital, because the far right party has included in its programme the principle of ” national preference “, which aims in particular to reserve certain jobs for French nationals. However, the public hospital system depends very heavily on foreign doctors: according to figures from the National Council of the Order of Physicians, 27% of doctors in the hospital were trained outside France.
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Social protection: one euro mutual insurance, recruitment and salary increase
The Macronist camp proposes to create a public mutual insurance offer at 1 euro per day, in the form of an expansion of the complementary health solidarity provided by Health Insurance.
It also proposes full reimbursement of wheelchairs, both electric and manual, for people with motor disabilities – a measure already announced by the executive, and currently being implemented.
As part of a “major health law”, the Popular Front has for its part included in its commitments a “ multi-year plan for recruiting healthcare and social-medical professionals (doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, administrative staff) and for upgrading professions and salaries “.
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Medicines: combating shortages through stock requirements or selling medicines individually
The New Popular Front will ask French diplomacy to ” defend the lifting of patents on vaccines and medical means to fight pandemics ” Faced with drug shortages, the left-wing union wants to create a ” public drug center, with a reinforcement of stock obligations “.
The National Rally wants a “ strategic autonomy plan » on drugs and « implement, by 2026, the sale of medicines individually to combat shortages and waste. »