French PM calls for regulation to curb healthcare shortages: Video
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has called for stricter regulations where doctors are allowed to establish practices as part of urgent efforts to address mounting medical staff shortages across the country.
Speaking during a plenary session of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) on Tuesday, Bayrou voiced support for a provision aimed at regulating doctor installation - an initiative recently rejected by a parliamentary committee.
“Access to healthcare and doctors has become an impossible obstacle course. This situation is unacceptable,” Bayrou said. “Like the education system, the organisation of healthcare in our country was once a source of pride. But certain decisions, such as the numerus clausus, have had dramatic effects on the provision of healthcare.”
Bayrou’s remarks come amid growing public frustration in rural and underserved urban areas, where residents often wait weeks or months for basic medical appointments.
The prime minister also took aim at Parcoursup, France’s controversial university admissions platform, arguing that it fosters social inequality by favouring students from families with insider knowledge.
“I must admit I have many questions about Parcoursup,” he said. “Early orientation, which Parcoursup organises, is in most cases social orientation. It’s because parents know the codes and maps of the system that their children can make the right choices.”
He lamented that France had become a “cruel country” for offering limited chances to those who fall behind early in life.
