No cut in French health spend, says Sarkozy

French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, having launched his campaign on the health policy front with a call for the introduction of a regime of patient charges, has now followed this markedly unpopular policy with a bold declaration on health spending.

Mr Sarkozy, referring to his own boldness, has said it was "quite something" to advocate patient charge regimes when his political presidential rivals have stayed quiet on the health financing issue. However, he said, it was essential to make clear that "it will not be possible to reduce health spending" while at the same time the courage is needed to make equally clear that state support cannot simply go on rising.

Mr Sarkozy is proposing four separate regimes under which health fund patients will not be reimbursed for "the first few euros" of the cost of drugs, consultations, biological analysis and hospital expenses. These would replace the current system of charges of 1 euro ($1.34) per medical consultation and 18 euros for major acts of treatment. He added that the level of the proposed charges would rise proportionally if the health fund system was in overall deficit.