Picture from l. to r: Dr. François Braun, French Minister of Health and Prevention and Lamine Gharbi, President of FHP
The French Federation of private hospitals (FHP) was present, as it is every year, at the SantExpo trade fair held in Paris from 23 to 25 May. To mark the occasion, Lamine Gharbi, President of the FHP, and Christine Schibler, General Delegate, welcomed a number of personalities from the world of healthcare to a dedicated area, the “FHP direct” TV set. The guests were able to exchange their views and defend their ideas on major topical issues such as the revision of the ONDAM (a target for spending not to be exceeded on outpatient and inpatient care provided in private and public establishments), the programming law, the financing of the agreement on career attractiveness and complementarity between the public and private sectors.
Opening the event, Lamine Gharbi said: “In his speech at the opening of the exhibition, Health Minister François Braun referred to the cooperation between the public and private sectors, praising our complementary nature. This recognition of the work of the private sector is important. While we have equal rights and duties, we also want to have equal funding. In this respect, I join with Arnaud Robinet, President of the French Federation of Public Hospitals, who has called for €1.5 billion in aid between now and the summer. In total, this aid should amount to €2.5 billion, including all the parties involved, which corresponds to the funding shortfall in the ONDAM 2023, given the impact of inflation on hospital costs and the increase in salaries linked to this inflation. The deterioration in the financial situation of healthcare establishments is increasingly worrying”.
Speaking on the subject of the agreement on classifications and remuneration in the private hospital sector, which is fundamental to the attractiveness and recognition of the careers of healthcare professionals, Christine Schibler emphasised the need for funding, which is essential for its implementation: “We are very proud of this agreement! I would like to thank all the negotiators for their hard work over 18 months. This agreement is due to come into force in 2024, which is a very short timeframe. Now we need to be clear. At the FHP, we are 92% remunerated by the health insurance system. The agreement includes a suspensive clause linked to its financing, which is why we are in the process of presenting it to all the ministries. We need an agreement in principle very quickly, before the summer, for this financing, which represents significant sums, because we won’t be able to set up the new system without additional financing. The next stage is therefore to convince the public authorities of the need to support this agreement so that we can move on to implementation on the ground with the 250,000 employees and 3,500 establishments concerned”.
