Medical unions protest over new campaign

Medical unions in France are criticizing a new campaign targeting general practitioners who are labeled as "overprescribers" of daily allowances, known as indemnités journalières. These allowances are payments made to workers who are unable to work due to illness, and they are typically managed by the National Health Insurance Fund, or Cnam.

Cnam announces campaign against overprescribers

The general director of the Cnam, Thomas Fatôme, informed representatives of independent doctors on Wednesday that the campaign is set to launch. This initiative will focus on 650 general practitioners identified as prescribing excessive daily allowances, according to MG France, a medical news outlet.

Unions challenge the Cnam’s approach

The unions have raised concerns about the methodology used by the Cnam, arguing that it relies on statistical anomalies and fails to consider the actual reasons behind sick leave prescriptions. They believe the campaign does not take into account the complex nature of medical decisions or the varying circumstances of individual patients.

Campaign follows previous tensions

This announcement comes amid ongoing tensions between the Cnam and medical professionals. Similar actions were taken last January, following ten days of strikes by doctors and other healthcare workers, highlighting a history of disagreement over the management of sick leave and healthcare policies.