All the unions of liberal doctors maintain their call for a closure of practices from January 5, denouncing the draft budget of the Social Security voted on Tuesday, and more generally a government policy "trampling" on their profession.
The six unions are also calling for a demonstration in Paris on Saturday, January 10.
"Never before has a government accumulated so many attacks" against liberal medicine "in such a short time," say the six representative doctors' unions of general practitioners and specialists in private practice, and six organizations of interns and young doctors.
The unions, who had announced their unified strike on November 26, obtained several concessions during the parliamentary debate on the social security budget.
Thus disappeared the possibility for the director of Health Insurance to unilaterally impose tariff reductions in activities with "excessive" profitability, and the surtax on additional fees.
But the text still contains provisions that they fiercely reject, such as the possibility of fines for doctors who do not contribute to or consult the shared medical record (DMP) of their patients.
"The DMP is useless, you can't find anything on it. Finding the last 4 prescriptions is fine, but for the rest" it is far too difficult to consult, says Dr. Patricia Lefébure, president of the FMF (general practitioners).
If it were "an effective, useful tool," it would be accepted, she indicated. "The day artificial intelligence makes it easier to search, that will be great."
"How can we impose sanctions that could go up to 100,000 euros per establishment or 25,000 euros per doctor for not using a tool that does not work?" also chokes Philippe Cuq, the president of the Bloc (surgeons, anesthesiologists, obstetrician-gynecologists).
An "authoritarian reduction" in tariffs
The current text of the Social Security budget also leaves open the possibility of an "authoritarian reduction" of Health Insurance rates for technical procedures.
“The director of the Health Insurance will be able to decide certain rates on his own,” denounces Agnès Giannotti, president of the MG France union. “What confidence can we place in a collective agreement if a decision by the Health Insurance can change everything?”
The text also eliminates health insurance reimbursements for prescriptions made by non-contracted doctors – except, oddity of the text highlighted by Philippe Cuq, for "care prescribed by these doctors free of charge, for themselves and for their relatives".
But the social security budget isn't the only source of anger. General practitioners are also denouncing the anti-fraud bill currently being debated in parliament.
According to the text, the Health Insurance will be able to "impose" on doctors who prescribe more sick leave than their "comparable" peers a "target-based approach": doctors will be required to reduce their prescriptions, and may ultimately face financial penalties if they do not comply.
The organizations also reiterate their opposition to the Garot and Mouillé bills, currently under consideration in Parliament, which both aim to restrict the freedom of doctors to establish themselves in order to better combat medical deserts.
On the union side, the press release is signed by Avenir Spé/Le Bloc, CSMF, FMF, MG France, SML and UFML.
It is also signed by Isnar-IMG and Isni (interns), and by ReAGJIR, Jeunes Médecins, Médecins pour Demain (young doctors) and Comeli (local committees of liberal doctors).
The Bloc is organizing an "exile" of operating room staff to Brussels starting January 11th, to avoid requisition by health authorities. According to Philippe Cuq, 2,000 surgeons, obstetrician-gynecologists, and anesthesiologists have already registered to benefit from bus transportation and hotel rooms booked by the union.
English 
French