The Health minister, Marisol Touraine has unveiled France’s plan to save billions on health spending.
Marisol Touraine has announced that 22,000 jobs will not be filled once staff in those positions either retire or quit over the next 2 years. At the same time, many of the posts that are currently filled by temporary or contract workers are also likely to reduced or even cut.
This drastic move is estimated to save €860 million off the wages bill for hospital staff between now and 2017.
The French government also announced plans to try and reduce the number of nights patients who have had minor surgery spend in hospitals which will also lead to savings.
The target that the Health minister is aiming for is that 57 percent of operations should be performed as outpatients, compared to 43 percent today, and also estimates that 15,000 admissions (after surgery) are preventable.
The government also hopes to save €1.2billion through ensuring better deals from suppliers, partly by encouraging hospitals to join together and buy products as groups rather than individual institutions.
The government also hopes cuts in the costs of certain drugs and medical equipment will help it cut back on spending.
