French Doctors Launch Week-Long Strike to Double Patient Admission Fees

PARIS (Sputnik) - French general practitioners, as well as doctors of other specialties in private practice, have gone on strike from Monday to January 2, demanding double fees for receiving patients, BFMTV reported.
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Doctors are calling on their colleagues to close offices from Monday, demanding an increase in patient admission fees from 25 euros ($27) to 50 euros, as well as better working conditions, the report read.
This is the second such protest in a month, after doctors went on strike across the country in early December.
The strike is organized by the association Doctors for Tomorrow (Medecins pour demain), created in September 2022 to draw attention to the shortage of doctors in the country and the difficult conditions in which they work, as well as trade unions SML (Syndicat des Medecins Liberaux), FMF (Federation des Medecins de France) and UFMLS (Union Francaise pour une Medecine Libre), according to the report.
Doctors complain about overcrowded hospitals amid ongoing epidemics of influenza, coronavirus and bronchiolitis in the country, the report read.
"There are epidemics, but there are also chronic patients. Today we no longer have the capacity to manage our patients, whether they are newborns or the elderly. We have whole waiting lists for consultations," general practitioner Florence Lapica said, as quoted by the broadcaster.
This strike will not be as massive as the December 1 and 2 actions, when up to 30% of offices were closed, but industry professionals are reportedly preparing a large nationwide action on January 5.
In summer, strikes by medical workers were held across France, to demand higher wages and more staff, and express dissatisfaction with the authorities' health care policies.
Trade unions previously noted that France was facing a health care crisis, and health care workers have been trying to draw attention to the situation in public hospitals, medical and social institutions for the past three years.
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