The French Government intends to penalize patients who have made a medical appointment and then do not show up for the consultation with five euros. The fine, which would be imposed unless notified at least 24 hours in advance, would serve to compensate the injured doctors and, at the same time, contribute to decongesting a health system that is partly very saturated.
Booking a visit with a specialist requires a lot of patience because the consultations are not enough and, unless you are willing to make a long trip to a distant doctor, something difficult for older people, the wait can take months in the case, for example, of the dermatologists. Some patients, therefore, periodically check the availability of consultations and make another appointment, although they forget to cancel the previous one.
According to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who presented the measure when he presented his program before Parliament after being appointed, the fine is due to the need “to respond to an important concern of the French: the ability to have an appointment within acceptable deadlines.” . Penalization is a way of holding healthcare users responsible, making them aware and supportive so that their space can be filled by another patient. It is estimated that each year between 15 and 20 million appointments suddenly become empty.
The penalty has been baptized as “the rabbit tax” because, in colloquial language, possessing a lapin (laying a rabbit) means standing up, not showing up for an agreed meeting.
Not everyone approves of the punishment measure, which must still go through the parliamentary process. There is also skepticism about its practical application, since it will depend on the discretion of the doctor, who may accept a last-minute cancellation if he sees it justified. To apply it, it will be necessary to first obtain the patient’s bank coordinates.
Although the French authorities boast, in this area as in others, of having one of the best health systems in the world, the reality is different. In France there is nothing like the CAPs in Spain, with generous opening hours and services such as tests, injections and vaccines. Everyone must make an appointment with their family doctor, at their office, or failing that, with a specialist. And there the nightmare of failed attempts can begin, through an internet platform, and very long periods to achieve the visit.
For Gérard Raymond, president of France Assos Santé, an organization of healthcare users, the penalty is not to hold people responsible but to “blame” patients. A sector of doctors also does not welcome a fine that, if imposed, will deteriorate the relationship of trust with patients. They maintain that the underlying problem of the lack of doctors must be faced and that, as an alternative to the penalty, the system of sending a message to patients, two days in advance, to remind them that they have an appointment must be imposed.
In Spain, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, yesterday ruled out such a measure. In her opinion, it is better to do “a little pedagogy of what a medical appointment means, how difficult it is right now to have one and the value that it has.” This week “the first regulatory steps” of the public management law of the National Health System will be taken, which will put “a lock” on bad practices.
