It hopes economic benefits …
Ministers Marisol Touraine (Health) and Laurent Fabius (Foreign Affairs) announced earlier today, Friday, measures to develop the increase of foreign patients in France, a promising market in terms of economic benefits and job creation.
These measures should be implemented “by the end of the year” include in particular the administrative relief for the reception of foreign doctors and patients, and the creation of a brochure and a web portal that will present the French care delivery, said the two ministers in a statement. A report by economist Jean de Kervasdoué, released in February, valued that at least two billion euros revenue which could be generated in five years by the development of this market, with the creation of 25,000 to 30,000 jobs as well.
Unrecovered costs
Israel, Turkey or Germany have embarked on the development of medical tourism, but the beginning of a similar shift in France faced cultural barriers, particularly in the public hospital, noted the report. Its author had several recommendations to enhance the assets of France in this field. The measures announced at the end of a working meeting held on Thursday aim to “enhance international visibility of our care package” and to establish “appropriate admission procedures for foreign patient base, in compliance the principle of equal access to care, “say Touraine and Fabius in their statement.
Among the administrative changes, the maximum duration of observation of foreign doctors on courses will increase from one to three months. The conditions and detailed arrangements for foreign doctors in specialist training in France will be face an “overhaul”. A “special revenue account” will be created on 1 January 2016 for health facilities, enabling a “statistical monitoring” of these revenues, with the “guarantee of a prior estimate and a billing for scheduled treatment of foreign patients uninsured and not covered by an international agreement. ”
An internal document of public-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), revealed in July had amounted to almost 120 million euros the amounts not recovered by Parisian public hospitals with patients, French or otherwise, residing abroad, or their insurers. Moreover, “the development needs and adaptation of hotel facilities to patients, French and foreign, and their families, will be examined by professionals.”
