A new bill aims to combat health misinformation by sanctioning abusive complaints against professionals and creating a monitoring system. Experts call it a legislative response to a growing threat.
Health misinformation bill introduced
On Thursday, October 29, Yannick Neuder, a deputy from the Republican Right and former Minister of Health, submitted a bill to the National Assembly aimed at combating misinformation regarding health issues. The proposed legislation seeks to "protect health professionals and scientists from abusive procedures and to combat health misinformation."Concerns over health system threats
Neuder claims that "health misinformation has become massive to the point of threatening the very existence of health systems." The bill advocates for the imposition of sanctions in cases of "abusive" complaints against scientists or health professionals. It proposes including a definition of a "manifestly abusive" complaint in the public health code.Definition of abusive complaints
The proposed definition would involve "hindering the freedom of expression of a practitioner due to public statements in line with established medical knowledge or the recommendations of competent health authorities at the time of the facts." Another measure mentioned is the creation of a "new information monitoring device powered by scientific experts."Report highlights misinformation risks
On January 12, a report titled Balance of strengths and weaknesses Recommendations for a national strategy for information and combating misinformation in health was submitted to the Minister of Health, Families, Autonomy and People with Disabilities by Mathieu Molimard, Dominique Costagliola, and Hervé Maisonneuve. The report noted that recent health crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, have increased the circulation of false information.Expert endorses bill's approach
Professor Mathieu Molimard, head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology of the Bordeaux University Hospital, stated in an interview with Santé magazine that the bill is a "fairly faithful legislative translation of his report." He noted that the bill "allows action to be taken where the government stopped at mere observation."Bill addresses imbalance in reporting
Molimard explained that the bill "finally sanctions the abuse of this practice and makes the protection functional automatically, with a fund dedicated to liberal professionals." He added that the bill's philosophy aligns with the report, focusing on the rigorous application of existing texts rather than introducing new offenses.Improvements to information monitoring
Molimard also mentioned that the bill "corrects the main flaw of the Observatory set up in October" by giving it a legal basis and independence from politics. He emphasized that the information monitoring system must allow reporting by health professionals and the public, not just public actors.Education and research remain government responsibilities
Finally, Molimard pointed out that education, training, and research, which are included in the recommendations, relate to the budget and not to the law. These aspects remain the responsibility of the government.
