Vaccination, tobacco, generalized third-party payment … The Minister of Health has set a timetable for all these files.
The entry into force of the vaccination obligation for 11 valences is set at 1er January 2018, announced the Minister of Solidarity and Health, Agnès Buzyn, invited this Thursday morning on CNews.
From this date, 8 more strains should be administered to children between 0 and 2 years old. These are whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcus and group C meningococcus. They will be added to the three already compulsory (diphtheria, tetanus, polio).
“I want to remind the French that these vaccines are already in the children’s health record. And you should know that today, 4 out of 5 children have these vaccines. So in fact, the French are already doing it, ”she explained.
This morning I was the guest of @JP_Elkabbach on @CNEWS to outline my priorities # solidarity and #health. https://t.co/Y34p0j2ld8
– Agnes Buzyn (@agnesbuzyn) August 31, 2017
Vaccination: convincing the 15% of recalcitrant
The vaccination obligation is aimed above all at the 10 to 15% of unvaccinated children. “We will obviously give the families time to get in working order. It is out of the question to push people to be vaccinated in an emergency, but the idea is that the 15% of unvaccinated children who put others at risk and who favor the resurgence of epidemics for which there are the dead are getting ready to march, ”she said.
Note that stock shortages remain, especially for DT Polio. The availability of these vaccines is an essential corollary to the implementation of this measure.
In theory, recalcitrant parents risk up to six months in prison and a fine of € 3,750. But the minister clarified this summer that she was considering the introduction of an exemption clause for parents fiercely opposed to vaccination. “My goal is not to sanction. The objective of this obligation is to restore confidence to the French. If I take this decision, it is because the vast majority of children are vaccinated without any side effects, ”she repeated in front of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach.
Tobacco: increase of one euro per year
Asked about tobacco, Agnès Buzyn confirmed her intention to increase the price of a packet of cigarettes. “For people to stop smoking, the increases must be significant, which is why I set this symbolic price of 10 euros per pack for 2020,” said the minister.
For now, the rate of increase has not yet been decided. And it seems unlikely that France will follow New York City’s lead in dropping the price of a pack of cigarettes from $ 10 to $ 13 all at once.
“We are going to do it gradually because I want the French to have time to prepare to quit. So we are going to announce the pace of the rise, so that no one will be caught off guard, ”she described, adding that the price could increase by one euro per year.
At the same time, a “global plan” should be put in place to limit parallel trade. “We must improve traceability, fight against fraud, and in particular the importation of cheap tobacco sold on the sidelines, as well as a harmonization of prices at European level,” said the Minister of Health.
Third-party payment that can be generalized in 2018
Another major project for Agnès Buzyn: generalized third-party payment, a system criticized by doctors but popular with patients. “I have 2 constraints: the first is access to care. It is not possible that 15% of French people who are below the poverty line give up seeking treatment. Second, doctors must have medical time. We cannot ask doctors today to enroll in a device that is not working. They spend a day a week doing papers, ”she summed up.
But Agnès Buzyn does not promise to be defeated. Far from there. “I have to answer these two issues, but you’ll see, I’ll get there. It will not be buried and will be put in place during 2018. ”
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