The french health care system

The World Health Organisation defines health in very broad terms as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well being". Health is thus about more than just the care aspect. Other factors such as housing, job environment, diet, and heredity also come into play. Among the different factors influencing health in the developed countries, the part played by health care systems is estimated at about 15%.

In a report published in 2000, the World Health Organization ranked France’s health care system as first among those of its 191 members, based on the quality of the care provided. In 2002, average life expectancy for women in France was 83 years (one of the highest in the world) and 75.6 years for men.
In France, health care is planned and organised in relation to the needs and expectations of the population. The health care system must thus ensure equitable geographical coverage and efficient interaction between the different health sector players, i.e. hospitals (public and private), private practitioners, medical auxiliaries, the pharmaceutical industry, etc.

Public health policy operates at two levels: that of the individual (i.e. individual situations and behaviour) and that of the population in general. Reflecting this fact, the Public Health Policy Act of 9 August 2004 sets 100 health objectives to be met within a period of five years.

France’s current health system is the product of a long history. The oldest French hospital is reputedly Paris’s Hôtel-Dieu, which, according to tradition, was founded by Saint Landry in 650. At that time its main purpose was to provide shelter, food and care for the destitute. The first hospital in the modern-day sense is the Maison royale de santé, founded in 1607 by Henri IV - also located in the capital and today the Hôpital Saint-Louis. The first example of rationalisation of public health organisation, it was built on the outskirts of the city for sanitation reasons.