In January 2024, a new health initiative called prevention check-ups was introduced in France, fully funded by the Social Security system. These check-ups are designed to encourage healthy habits, promote vaccinations, and help prevent chronic diseases. They are available to people in four specific age groups: 18-25 years, 45-50 years, 60-65 years, and 70-75 years. Initially, doctors, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists were allowed to conduct these check-ups, and in October 2024, physiotherapists were added to the list of eligible professionals.
The program had a slow beginning, with only 60,882 check-ups completed in 2024. However, by 5 October 2026, Stéphanie Rist, the Minister of Health, expressed satisfaction with the progress made, citing data from the National Health Data System. By 31 August 2026, nearly 690,000 check-ups had been conducted, with the number reaching 45,000 per month. The government’s goal, set under the Government's Priority Policy 2026, is for 10% of the 21 million eligible French people to use the service.
Pharmacists have played a key role in the program, accounting for 58% of all check-ups performed between January 2024 and August 2026. Doctors contributed 34%, while nurses and midwives each made up about 4%. As of 23 September 2026, pharmacists represented 43.6% of the professionals registered in the santé.fr directory, which lists all eligible practitioners. Nurses were close behind at 43.1%, while doctors and midwives were much less represented, at 4.4% and 3.9%, respectively. Physiotherapists, who joined the program more recently, accounted for 4.5% of the registered professionals.
The distribution of check-ups among the four age groups has been relatively even. The 18-25 age group has had the highest number of check-ups, making up 31% of all appointments. The 60-65 age group follows with 24%, then the 70-75 age group with 22%, and the 45-50 age group with 20%. This suggests that the initiative is reaching a broad range of people across different life stages, potentially helping to improve public health outcomes across the population.
French Prevention Check-Up Program Expands with High Participation from Pharmacists
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