French general practitioners, as well as doctors of other specialties in private practice, have gone on strike from Monday to January 2, demanding double fees for receiving patients, BFMTV reported
In an interview published Monday by Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France (The Parisian-Today in France), Health Minister Marisol Touraine said she was “confident” that patients would receive necessary care during the strike but urged “vigilence”.
The doctors are calling for a reduction in working hours to 48 hours per week – down from the current 60 – and for overtime to be granted to anyone working more than 39 hours a week.
The strike is supported by 63 percent of the French with 36 percent opposed, according to an OpinionWay survey published in Le Figaro.
Doctors are calling on their colleagues to close offices from Monday, demanding an increase in patient admission fees from 25 euros ($27) to 50 euros, as well as better working conditions, the report read.
This is the second such protest in a month, after doctors went on strike across the country in early December.
The strike is organized by the association Doctors for Tomorrow (Medecins pour demain), created in September 2022 to draw attention to the shortage of doctors in the country and the difficult conditions in which they work, as well as trade unions SML (Syndicat des Medecins Liberaux), FMF (Federation des Medecins de France) and UFMLS (Union Francaise pour une Medecine Libre), according to the report.
Doctors complain about overcrowded hospitals amid ongoing epidemics of influenza, coronavirus and bronchiolitis in the country, the report read.
Negotiations between the ministry of health and emergency physicians continued throughout the weekend. While doctors praised the “significant” progress made during the talks, it was not enough to prompt them to end their calls for a strike.
The Association of Emergency Physicians of France (AMUF) expects some 80 percent of emergency room workers to take part in the strike.
But the action is not expected to compromise hospital care over the holidays. Strikers will be wearing white badges to show their solidarity with the strike action, but will continue to work.
"There are epidemics, but there are also chronic patients. Today we no longer have the capacity to manage our patients, whether they are newborns or the elderly. We have whole waiting lists for consultations," general practitioner Florence Lapica said, as quoted by the broadcaster.
This strike will not be as massive as the December 1 and 2 actions, when up to 30% of offices were closed, but industry professionals are reportedly preparing a large nationwide action on January 5.
In summer, strikes by medical workers were held across France, to demand higher wages and more staff, and express dissatisfaction with the authorities' health care policies.
Trade unions previously noted that France was facing a health care crisis, and health care workers have been trying to draw attention to the situation in public hospitals, medical and social institutions for the past three years.
Doctors are also protesting against a bill that would allow nurses to write certain prescriptions, which is a policy aimed at preventing the collapse of the public health system.
The ongoing 7-day strike was called by the Union of Doctors in Free Practice, (SML), the Federation of Doctors of France (FMF), and the French Union for a Free Medicine (UFMLS).
The doctors' strike comes amid rising inflation that has mobilized other workers to protest. Last week, the workers of the national railway company SNCF were also on strike, which ended temporarily thanks to an agreement reached on Friday.
Originally initiated by the collective “Doctors for Tomorrow”, unions such as Generalists-CSMF and Jeunes Médecins have joined in calling on médecine géneralists (GPs or family doctors) to “be united in anger” and to close their practices for two days.
The idea to close down GP practices during the first few days of December was originally born in September, when members of the small Facebook group “Doctors for Tomorrow” began discussing their frustrations with their careers – as doctors say they do not have enough time for proper consultations and are not happy with the fees set by the government.
France and other European countries are facing rising energy prices and a massive energy crisis amid ongoing energy policies, including the imposition of sanctions against Russia after the start of a special operation to protect Donbass
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