Ok we all know that the NHS in the UK is in a mess due to lack of funding by the last few governments. Since moving to France I have been very impressed by the health service operation all be it at first confusing. They have had a preventive medicine approach. So I thought that was until yesterday. I had to visit my GP and was informed by him that he was retiring at the end of march along with his wife who is also a GP. As a joke I said you won’t enjoy it you will be bored. He replied it’s not by choice we are being forced into it for standing by our principles. He went on to explain that those above had sent out at the end of last year to all our area doctors ( some 630ish) a new directive for them all to sign up for. They all had to reduce the number of prescriptions, X-ray appointments physio etc they hand out. My doctor was expecting many to refuse as it goes against everything a doctor should be live in. Only 3 refused to sign my doctor and his wife being 2. I replied we’ll surely it’s the French way to sign up then carry on as normal, alas no all doctors will be monitored and for the want of a phase if they go over their quota they will be penalised and fined. So it left my doctor with no choice but to take retirement as if he carried on he would be audited every 15 days and fined which by the end of the year would have left him owing money. Our surgery is only open 4 days a week so he found a lady doctor who could take over,no sorry those above said she can only take over if she commits to 5 days a week, which as she has children she could not. My doctor has in excess of 2000 patients on his books that now have to find another doctor in an area with already overloaded books. For us and many of his English patients a problem as our doctors both spoke excellent English which is a great help when relaying symptoms and problems as its not really part of many,s everyday France and needs to be put across correctly to avoid the wrong treatment. So some faceless wonder above will now very soon be able to stand up and say “look how much I have saved” but in the big picture say over the next 10 or so years I am sure it will end up costing a lot more as illnesses etc progress maybe without preventative care…
So for those of us on regular medication which is working maybe in a year or so we will go to the doctors to be told ok sir your blood pressure is fine and has been for a good while I am not going to prescribe you your medication as you no longer need it !!!
So when and if this happens you will no why.
I do not know if this directive is country wide or just our area… But to me it is just wrongstrong text
Very sorry to hear of your stress. I have little to add except sympathy for your situation, wish I had more insight, hope you don’t mind my two cents. Others on SF will surely have more to offer that might be of use. I did hear that France is becoming more corporate-ized. This situation seems to be an example of that.
In the US, we’ve suffered enormously (IMHO) due to corporatization of health insurance and therefore, the quality of health/medical services over the years. In the 1990s it was good, then with more power given to bigger even hungrier health insurance companies, service and care options got worse; right now, it’s slightly better but things are changing. In the US medical insurance coverage and regulations for independent medical practitioners was causing more docs to leave their practices and instead join with larger hospitals. It made each doc have to standardize his/her practice of medicine. Some said it was good (there are always folks who are sub-par in any profession I suppose), and called those docs doing sub-par work to the carpet. Some said that standardization de-humanized the process of going to the doctor.
My dad’s a retired pediatric neurologist in the US. He told me about how his colleagues who still practice, now have to reduce the amount of time per patient visit, and in fact reduce the amount of patients per day in order to complete the required paperwork.
Even so, there are some docs in the US who work outside the system. I suppose in France, this is not going to be possible. While I am looking forward to the reduction in personal health costs if/when I am approved for France residency, perhaps I am already prepared for the worst, though, coming from the US. I have a couple of meds that I do wonder if I can get transferred. There is so much, health-wise, that is out of one’s control. When new regulations come down from above, so to speak, the first years are hard on everyone.
What I do wonder if you might find on SF, would be not only others’ insight but also others here who may know doctors who might work almost as well for you. Perhaps that would help at least a little? Perhaps you can keep SF posted, if you like. Best wishes.
Our English speaking doctor in Cluny has obviously been targeted on the same directive.
I have some medications that I use infrequently depending upon my circumstances.
I have been urged not to continue with them on my ordinance.
Is this the nouvelle convention 2016? I stand to be corrected but there’s quite a bit of it that seems to make sense. I think overall the health system here is good, but it is straining at the seams. The principal of getting the all doctors to agree to revised to rémunération sur objectifs de santé public, so that it doesn’t become a postcode lottery has a logic. And to balance out provision is also a good thing, but since doctors can practice freely I don’t understand how a surgery can be forced to open 5 days?
When I first arrived I encountered some doctors that quite frankly were 19th century in their approach…smoking in their surgery for example! And hugely over medicalised, I have a heap of prescriptions that I’ve never filled as really no need but couldn’t persuade GP not to give them to me. Plus hugely abused by the patients too.
No I don’t want it to become totally corporate and focused on cost cutting, but a bit of trimming could help stretch things while maintaining a national health service? I know little about US health services but the major problem seems to be that there is no national health service so all at mercy of state idiosyncrasies.
And it’s not complete blanket bans is it, there will still be the ability to get things, but just require an accord préalable? There are already limits on e.g. number of kiné sessions that can be prescribed without prior agreement and that doesn’t cause a problem does it? I retain my faith that doctors are committed to their work so will still give good care. After all most still do in NHS despite the situation.
So I remain optimistic…I hope I won’t n’t have to eat my words!