INTERVIEW – The first general practitioner union, MG France, is holding its Congress. Dr Claude Leicher will also settle accounts with Marisol Touraine, the Minister of Health.
Presented last week by the CNOM (1), the 2016 Atlas of medical demography insisted on the “worrying” drop in the number of general practitioners, the first to be affected by the large number of retirements. Since 2007, their number has fallen by 8.4%. This decrease could even result in the loss of one general practitioner in four for the period 2007-2025! Despite this gloomy context, the profession is not losing hope.
It is under the theme “Draw me the general medicine of tomorrow” that the first general practitioner union, MG France, meets this weekend in Grenoble for its Cnational ongrès organized every 3 years. From Friday to Saturday, the event will be an opportunity to celebrate the organization’s 30 years of struggle. Its president, Dr Claude Leicher, will also take the opportunity to settle accounts with the government.
Contacted by Why actor, he denounces the “inaction” of Marisol Touraine during his five-year term. Taken in New York for the UN meeting on the end of AIDS (2), the trade unionist also regrets that the Minister of Health has declined the invitation to Isère. Because he fears “the programmed disappearance of his specialty”, the general practitioner in Étoile-sur-Rhône (Drôme) does not mince his words.
Marisol Touraine declined the invitation to your Congress …
Dr Claude Leicher : We have always invited the Ministers of Health to come to the Congress of MG France. Most of the time, they go there. This year, Marisol Touraine made a political choice by not coming when her schedule allowed it. The Minister of Health surely thinks that her electorate is in the hospital and that the liberal doctors will not be the voters of the party she supports. This is not MG France’s problem. We say to the doctors: “look, determine yourselves, then choose”.
How do you judge his five years in office?
Dr Claude Leicher : We note that this five-year term has not kept its promises at all. Particularly in terms of access to care and concerning local care. The President and his Minister of Health summed up these questions to the Emergency Department. They only saw a very small part of the problem and also let the general practitioner demographics drop. The disappointment is very important. Especially since the massive investments of the government in the public hospital have followed one another. François Hollande and Marisol Touraine had no ambition on general medicine.
Dr Claude Leicher, president of MG France: ” There was no commitment from the government on the organization and resources of primary care… “
The Minister has all the same decided to increase the C of general practitioners to 25 euros but without giving a date?
Dr Clauder Leicher : The consultation of general practitioners at 25 euros is already underway. I have been billing at this rate since March 2015. And I see that the movement is gradually spreading. But 25 euros is not a victory to celebrate because it is just a measure of fairness vis-à-vis specialists.
The promises of the Director of Health Insurance are binding only on those who listen to them. So I say to general practitioners “do not wait for the end of the conventional negotiations and take 25 euros now”. It is a professional safeguard measure, and most of the time the patients are reimbursed for the 2 euros of excess fees.
Are you still opposed to generalized third-party payment?
Dr Claude Leicher : Let things be clear. MG France will not go to the Ministry of Health on June 15 to promote generalized third-party payment. Quite the contrary. We go there to reiterate that we still do not want this obligation for physicians.
If ever the Medicare plans made a simple system, we would tell the doctors to make their choice. It’s like a laptop, it helps but there is no obligation to buy a smartphone. It does not make sense. We are not in an ideological war with the government. We just see that the file is poorly put together and that the current generalized third party payment will not work.
Dr Claude Leicher : ” On June 15 at the Ministry of Health I am going to talk about the technical problems that doctors who practice third-party payment have… “
(1) National Council of the Order of Physicians
(2) The United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on ending AIDS is held every five years. It is an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to urge the international community to mobilize for the end of AIDS by 2030, a commitment made at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development.
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