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French health professionals protest against government reforms

Thousands of medical professionals and students took to the streets in Paris on Sunday to protest against the government’s proposed health reforms.

Doctors say the new reforms will damage France's healthcare system.
Doctors say the new reforms will damage France's healthcare system. RFI
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The protesters demanded that the reforms should not go ahead in its current form as it not only puts the future of medical professionals in France at risk but will also ruin the country’s health care system.

The matter that has generated a lot of heat and debate relates to doing away with the current system of patients paying money upfront to doctors.

Currently, patients pay doctors their fees after which they get reimbursed by the state and insurance companies. However, as per the new reforms it would be doctors who will have to bill their fees to insurance companies and the social security system.

Some of the doctors expressed apprehension about the added burden of administrative paper work saying that their job is not to file papers but to treat patients. They also fear about not getting repaid quickly by the insurance companies and the State.

However, the country’s health minister Marisol Touraine is steadfastly backing the reform of advance fee waiver which the government wants to implement all over France by 2017. It was a part of the campaign promise of Francois Hollande.

The National Assembly is expected to debate the reforms starting Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Private Hospitals called for the resignation of Touraine, accusing the minister of trying to make the clinics disappear.
 

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