Unhonored medical appointments: how Gabriel Attal could charge patients who ask their doctors questions ?

Chaque année, 27 millions de rendez-vous médicaux ne sont pas honorés par les patients. Illustration Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

À l'occasion de son discours de politique générale, le Premier ministre Gabriel Attal a déclaré ce mardi 30 janvier qu'il envisageait de faire "payer" les patients qui ne se rendent pas à leur rendez-vous médical.

In his general policy speech addressed to the National Assembly this Tuesday, January 30, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal made several announcements for the health sector. 

In addition to the regularization of foreign doctors present in France and the recruitment of caregivers across borders to fight against medical deserts, the Prime Minister mentioned the establishment of sanctions for people who do not & #39;do not keep their medical appointments. 

"When you have an appointment with the doctor and you don't come without warning, you pay", he said to the attention of unruly patients. "There are still, today, too many appointments you medical officers who are not honored, recalled Gabriel Attal. For doctors, it is unbearable to have patients every day who have appointments and who do not show up. For the French, it is unbearable to know that millions of hours are wasted while they sometimes wait months for an appointment."< /p>

27 million missed medical appointments

According to figures from the Academy of Medicine and the Order of Physicians, cited by Capital, 27 million& nbsp;medical appointments are not honored by patients. For Gabriel Attal, these "rabbits" too many are paralyzing the health system.

If the Prime Minister has not yet clarified the contours of this measure, which doctors and unions have been demanding for a long time, the sanctions could result in a tax& ;nbsp;levied by Health Insurance and paid to caregivers, or by prepayment of consultations when making an appointment, as is already the case for teleconsultations.

France Bleu specifies that to charge patients who do not show up for appointments, it would be necessary to modify the code of public health, which today provides that fees can only be claimed "on the occasion of' ;#39;acts actually carried out".