Macron announces changes to France’s health care system

PARIS  — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled plans to make France’s health care system, considered one of the best in the world, more efficient and sustainable for the next 50 years.

Macron announced organizational changes at hospitals, in the recruitment of doctors, and a better use of digital technologies to provide health care to patients across the country, regardless of where they live.


Macron said “a lot of our neighbors envy the excellence of our health care system. We are attached to our model which associates hospital medicine — public and private — and private medical practice.”

France came out number 1 in a World Health Organization report comparing 191 countries in 2000.

But the country’s health care system is struggling with increasing costs and lack of doctors in some rural region and poor neighborhoods.

One short-term measure consists in hiring 400 family doctors — paid by the state— in so-called “medical deserts.”

The current rule that sets quotas on the number of students in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy will be abolished in 2020.

Hospitals will be classified into in three categories: local health care, specialized care and ultra-specialized care — each focusing on its priorities, to optimize patient care.

Private doctors and other health care professionals will be required in the coming years to organize themselves into “communities” to be able to respond to daily emergency calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day in their geographic area — leaving hospitals for only the most serious cases.

The set of measures is estimated to cost 3.4 billion euros ($4 billion) by 2022.

“My ambition is clear: I want what we call the health care system to be one of the pillars of the welfare state of the 21st century,” Macron said. “A health care system that prevents and protects against today’s and tomorrow’s health risks.”

France’s health care system involves a state-funded health insurance that reimburses patients for most medical interventions and medicines prescribed by a doctor.

France’s health insurance budget in 2018 is 195.2 billion euros ($229 billion) — financed by taxes.

In addition, the French can also apply to private insurance to increase their health coverage. /ee

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Macron, Trudeau ‘bromance’ fires up internet

“A liberal fantasy dream sequence”, “a bromance,” “insanely romantic”.

The Internet was abuzz Friday with pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau schmoozing at the G7 summit in Sicily, strolling through flowered walkways and chatting against the backdrop of a sparkling blue Mediterranean sea.

“Apparently Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron flew to Sicily for their wedding photoshoot,” netizen @sherlockify joked on Twitter.

The reaction to the telegenic pair’s encounter in the picturesque, hillside town of Taormina, immortalized by Macron himself who tweeted a video of their meeting, provided some light relief from a summit otherwise devoted to thorny issues such as climate change and the threat of extremism.

“The Franco-Canadian friendship has a new face,” Macron tweeted after sitting down for talks with Trudeau and taking the now famous stroll.

“@JustinTrudeau, it’s up to us to take on the challenges of our generation!”

“Sitting down with @EmmanuelMacron for the first time, talking jobs, security & climate -– looking forward to more conversations, my friend,” Trudeau responded on Twitter, posting pictures of both smiling, shaking hands, and looking out over the Mediterranean, their dapper suit jackets billowing in the breeze.

Macron, 39, has only been in power for 12 days but enjoys similar kudos, particularly abroad where he has been compared to Trudeau.

“This image of Trudeau and Macron in Sicily is right out of a liberal fantasy dream sequence,” tweeted Dhruva Jaishankar, an expert on foreign policy at the India section of the Brookings Institution think tank.

Others were even more explicit.

“Le swoon, le sigh,” tweeted netizen MissMary, above a photo of both leaders in apparent earnest chat.

“Is there a budding bromance between Macron and Trudeau? Two hunks!” added @MaureenRamsden.

source: technology.inquirer.net