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Since President Emmanuel Macron's dissolution of the French government and announcement of new legislative elections, many healthcare professionals have expressed their concerns. The National Union of Liberal Nurses (SNIIL) issued a statement on June 10, following the results of the European elections and Macron's decision to hold new legislative elections, entitled "Deep Concerns for the Future of the Profession."

Nursing Revamp Paused

This electoral upheaval is delaying the opening of much-anticipated projects for the profession. "The work that was in progress in the National Assembly has been put on hold, following the presidential announcement, until the upcoming legislative elections scheduled for June 30 and July 7. Among these projects is the revamp of the nursing profession. While Minister of Health Frédéric Valletoux had promised us the completion of this reform by the end of summer 2024, this promise now seems compromised," wrote the SNIIL. "We can fear that these upcoming legislative elections will result in a new reshuffling and, therefore, the appointment of a new Minister of Health, thus reinforcing the political instability that has prevailed for years and whose first victims are healthcare professionals and patients," the SNIIL wrote. The government has had seven successive health ministers since Emmanuel Macron's election in 2017.

End-of-Life Bill

Parliamentary work on a bill to support the sick and provide end-of-life care has been postponed. The Association for the Right to Die With Dignity fears that this bill may be definitively buried. "While the bill on supporting the sick and the end of life was entering its 3rd week of examination by the National Assembly with a solemn vote scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, the dissolution pronounced this Sunday by the President of the Republic consigns to oblivion the months of an exemplary democratic sequence that was opened with the launch of the Citizen Convention in fall 2022. This decision definitively puts an end to the work done in the special committee and the public session."

Medical Regulation

While doctors' unions have remained relatively quiet since Macron's announcement, some, such as the Health in Danger collective, are already concerned about the healthcare programs of certain political parties. For example, the New Popular Front (France Unbowed, Socialist Party, Communist Party, Greens, Public Square, New Anticapitalist Party, New Deal) proposed in its program to "regulate the installation of doctors in medical deserts and restore liberal caregivers to health centers."

National Rally

The National Union of Young General Practitioners (SNJMG) has taken a stand against the far right National Rally party. "We must unite to fight together against the far right! It is our duty to unite against fascist, racist, and totalitarian policies that threaten the most vulnerable, precarious, and minorities," the SNJMG wrote on X.

The same sentiment is echoed by Doctors of the World, a humanitarian organization, which fears the National Rally's rise to power. "Through its 'national priority' project, the National Rally does not hide its xenophobic and racist ambition to exclude immigrants from access to many rights, including by removing state medical assistance that allows immigrants to receive care while waiting to obtain papers," the group said in a statement. "Restricting access to care based on residency status is contrary to human rights. It is also nonsensical in terms of individuals' health and public health."

This story was translated from Univadis France, which is part of the Medscape Professional Network, using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.