President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled plans on Thursday to improve the efficiency of France's public hospitals by grouping them into regional clusters.
The plan, which will affect 1.1 million French health professionals, would give hospital directors more responsibility for issues such as staffing and make part of their pay dependent on results. It would group hospitals into "regional hospital communities" which would share services.
"Every hospital has to stop trying to do everything," Sarkozy said in a speech outlining the changes during a visit to eastern France.
France's system of publicly funded health care is one of the most highly developed in Europe but the government says hospitals need to adapt to the needs of an ageing population and make it easier for people to obtain hospital treatment.
Officials have stressed that hospitals will not be forced to join the regional groups but would be offered financial incentives to do so.
Besides grouping hospitals and overhauling accident and emergency services, the changes would be designed to improve care for old people and make it easier for foreign doctors to practise in France.
The changes were based on recommendations in a report on the hospital sector by Gerard Larcher, a member of parliament from Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party.
They will be incorporated into a new health law to be presented to parliament after the summer recess.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by James Mackenzie; editing by Andrew Dobbie)
Reviewed By Ramaz Mitaishvili, MD
