French Doctors Offered New Drugs Deal By Govt

France's government has published a a decree defining the principleswhich will control medical spending from 1997. In cases where there is a marked overshooting of the 1.3% spending growth limit fixed for 1997, the doctors themselves will be held responsible collectively for the reversal of this position, French sources note.

The principle of one collective sanction - which earlier led to a breakdown in negotiations with the medical professions' main representative bodies (Marketletters passim) - is being maintained. However, Social Affairs Minister Jacques Barrot has softened the conditions under which the sanction will be applied. Doctors will only be required to refund 5% of the value of excess prescriptions in place of the 20% envisaged initially.

And the doctors have been invited to negotiate a basis for individual modification of the sanctions so as not to penalize the more virtuous members of the profession. In other words, all French doctors are equal before the principle of financial sanctions but some will be more equal than others.