French surgeons call off strike action
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《英国医生杂志》
The 2000 French surgeons intending to seek refuge in London in September to avoid being forced back to work during a strike in France aborted their plans last week after a settlement was reached with the government.
Since June, a surgeons union called Chirurgiens de France has been urging surgeons to sign up for a return trip to London for a week, starting 31 August, to avoid being forced back to work during proposed strike action. The 2000 reservations were made will not be reimbursed.
揟he surgeons have taken into account the measures to be taken regarding the training of young surgeons, the increase in rates for surgery, better reimbursement for patients from the healthcare system, and an improvement in working conditions,?the association said in a statement, calling off the strike.
The negotiations with the government led to a nine point plan to improve working conditions (including the modernisation of operating theatres) and boost recruitment. The plan will cost the state �52m (?5m; $63m) in 2004 and �61m in 2005.
The average age of surgeons in France is 51, while the government estimates that the number of surgeons will fall by about a fifth from 23 000 to 17 000 by 2010.
揂t this rate,?said health minister Dr Douste-Blazy, 搃f we had not done anything, the French would soon be going to foreign countries to be operated on.?
But the surgeons?main complaint was that the tariff the insurance-based healthcare system reimburses them for surgery had not increased for 15 years and that the cost of professional insurance premiums had risen to around a quarter of their income.
From 1 October the tarriff for surgery will rise, eventually increasing by 30% for those working in the private sector and by 15% for those working in publicly funded hospitals. The lowest paid surgeons --- those who are only able to charge the standard health care system rates ---will earn about �17 000 more a year, bringing their income to about �70 000, the same as that of a general practitioner. And for the first time, surgeons will be paid while they are on call, at a daily rate of �150.
Even those approved surgeons who are able to charge above the healthcare system rates, and tend to earn double what other surgeons earn, their annual income will still be less than that of a dermatologist, radiologist or cardiologist.
The government also intends to help designated surgeons pay for their insurance, and Dr Douste-Blazy said that he would hold talks with the French Federation of Insurance Companies about capping the rise in costs of professional insurance premiums. Since 1993, the cost has risen more than 10-fold, from �1500 to �16 600.
Additionally, several public hospital unions continued negotiations with the health minister in the days after the agreement with Chirurgiens de France, which dealt primarily with the needs of the independent surgeons, and as the BMJ went to press, they were set for a one-day strike on September 1 if the minister did not sign the agreement to their demands.(Paris Brad Spurgeon)
Since June, a surgeons union called Chirurgiens de France has been urging surgeons to sign up for a return trip to London for a week, starting 31 August, to avoid being forced back to work during proposed strike action. The 2000 reservations were made will not be reimbursed.
揟he surgeons have taken into account the measures to be taken regarding the training of young surgeons, the increase in rates for surgery, better reimbursement for patients from the healthcare system, and an improvement in working conditions,?the association said in a statement, calling off the strike.
The negotiations with the government led to a nine point plan to improve working conditions (including the modernisation of operating theatres) and boost recruitment. The plan will cost the state �52m (?5m; $63m) in 2004 and �61m in 2005.
The average age of surgeons in France is 51, while the government estimates that the number of surgeons will fall by about a fifth from 23 000 to 17 000 by 2010.
揂t this rate,?said health minister Dr Douste-Blazy, 搃f we had not done anything, the French would soon be going to foreign countries to be operated on.?
But the surgeons?main complaint was that the tariff the insurance-based healthcare system reimburses them for surgery had not increased for 15 years and that the cost of professional insurance premiums had risen to around a quarter of their income.
From 1 October the tarriff for surgery will rise, eventually increasing by 30% for those working in the private sector and by 15% for those working in publicly funded hospitals. The lowest paid surgeons --- those who are only able to charge the standard health care system rates ---will earn about �17 000 more a year, bringing their income to about �70 000, the same as that of a general practitioner. And for the first time, surgeons will be paid while they are on call, at a daily rate of �150.
Even those approved surgeons who are able to charge above the healthcare system rates, and tend to earn double what other surgeons earn, their annual income will still be less than that of a dermatologist, radiologist or cardiologist.
The government also intends to help designated surgeons pay for their insurance, and Dr Douste-Blazy said that he would hold talks with the French Federation of Insurance Companies about capping the rise in costs of professional insurance premiums. Since 1993, the cost has risen more than 10-fold, from �1500 to �16 600.
Additionally, several public hospital unions continued negotiations with the health minister in the days after the agreement with Chirurgiens de France, which dealt primarily with the needs of the independent surgeons, and as the BMJ went to press, they were set for a one-day strike on September 1 if the minister did not sign the agreement to their demands.(Paris Brad Spurgeon)