The government is abandoning the possibility of imposing prescription reduction targets on doctors who prescribe more sick leave than their colleagues, one of the measures that sparked the strike by private practice doctors, according to concordant union sources on Thursday.
This commitment was made by Health Minister Stéphanie Rist during bilateral meetings since Wednesday with the representative unions of liberal doctors, who had called for a strike from January 5 to 15, these sources indicated, confirming information from Egora.
The controversial measure is included in the bill on tax and social fraud, which the Senate adopted in December, and which must now be examined by the National Assembly.
According to union sources, the minister also made specific commitments on not implementing article 78 of the Social Security budget for 2026, which allows health authorities to unilaterally set medical tariffs in the absence of an agreement with representative unions.
This article, also one of the main reasons for the doctors' strike, was adopted by Parliament based on a parliamentary amendment, not a government proposal. The amendment was proposed by MP Yannick Monnet (Left, Democratic, and Republican).
However, some points of disagreement remain, such as the non-reimbursement of prescriptions from doctors in sector 3 (non-contracted), as stipulated in the 2026 Social Security budget.
“There has been progress,” Dr. Jérôme Marty, president of the UFML union, told AFP, “but we’ll have to see how it translates into action.” Dr. Patricia Lefébure, president of the FMF union, shared this assessment. “I think it’s a shame that we had to take to the streets; it could have been resolved amicably,” she commented.
Dr. Philippe Cuq, who heads the Le Bloc union (anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetricians), stressed the need for "written commitments" from the minister. "We are asking for a framework letter" from the government for new negotiations between the national health insurance and the unions regarding fee overruns, he explained to AFP.
"We are also asking for a letter to the unions" committing to a reversal on the contested provisions of the 2026 Social Security budget, such as article 78 on setting rates, added Philippe Cuq, who met with Ms. Rist on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Bloc continues to call for a continuation of the movement in the form of a guards' strike.
A new meeting of the doctors' inter-union group is scheduled for Thursday evening, the last day of the strike launched on January 5, according to union sources.
The Ministry of Health, contacted by AFP, did not immediately comment.
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