Doctors of the World warns of plans to tighten access to AME for undocumented immigrants

On Wednesday, September 3, Doctors of the World denounced the government's plan to tighten access to state medical aid (AME) for illegal immigrants, which, according to the association, "threatens the balance of our solidarity-based health system."

"These measures would have direct and serious consequences on the health of the most vulnerable people in an irregular situation" and "they would inevitably put a strain on emergency services and hospitals, exacerbating the crisis in our health system," warns Matthias Thibeaud, advocacy officer for Médecins du Monde, in a press release.

According to draft decrees consulted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the government is considering several measures to review the conditions of access to AME and reduce the list of health care covered by the system.

Among these measures, the mandatory presentation of a document with a photo is "a huge obstacle which will cause the rate of non-use to explode" , because "many people who have left their country have had their papers stolen or confiscated" , Mr. Thibeaud told AFP.

Making access to AME conditional on the spouse's resources would lead to "a pure and simple eviction of tens of thousands of people from the system" , which could affect "40,000 women in precarious situations" , he added. In its press release, the NGO assures that "this would also lead to an increase in situations of control and marital dependence" of these women.

The implementation of a "prior agreement" for certain treatments would also lead to "delays or even the abandonment of treatment," the NGO adds. "Taking care of a cavity, a prosthesis, having glasses, it's essential to live properly," Mr. Thibeaud told AFP.

Finally, the desire to exclude balneotherapy from the basket of care covered by the AME is "a show-off measure" , according to the advocacy representative of Médecins du Monde: "Letting people believe that people cross the Mediterranean or come to France to benefit from balneotherapy care is unbearable. It is a purely demagogic, cynical and indecent measure."