Thousands of French Doctors Protest Government Health Policies with Mass 'Exil to Brussels' Operation

Thousands of French healthcare professionals, particularly liberal doctors and specialists, are intensifying their protests against recent government health measures. Beginning Sunday, about 2,000 specialists—including surgeons, anesthetists, and gynecologists—departed Paris for Brussels in a coordinated "Exil à Bruxelles" operation organized by the union Le Bloc to denounce the government's health policies.

This demonstration is part of a larger mobilization addressing several controversial issues, such as the unilateral power granted to the director of the Assurance maladie to set medical tariffs and a proposed law enforcing prescription reduction targets for doctors who write more sick leaves than their peers. The strike began on Monday and has attracted considerable attention, with organizers claiming that up to 20,000 doctors participated in a recent Paris protest, which police estimated at 5,000.

Doctors wearing white coats carried banners with messages like "Mistreating caregivers is mistreating patients." Patricia Lefébure, president of the Fédération des médecins de France, explicitly rejected the association of doctors with any fraud schemes tied to pending legislation, stating, "We are not criminals; we have nothing to do with a fraud law project."

Meanwhile, nearly 1,900 operating room specialists are also heading to Belgium for a three-day trip to avoid requisitions, marking the start of strikes within liberal healthcare and private clinics. This group is strongly opposing the government's refusal to increase hospital tariffs, an issue that authorities are expected to confront as strike actions escalate.

Healthcare professionals describe the government's approach as an "authoritarian drift" that threatens their freedom to practice medicine and has called on Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to propose solutions addressing their concerns.

The ongoing protests highlight significant tensions between France’s medical community and the government over health policy direction, pricing controls, and regulatory pressures. The situation remains fluid as the government faces increasing pressure from a united and persistent healthcare sector.