HEALTH-CARE-DELIVERY SYSTEM IN FRANCE - EFFECTS ON SURGICAL EDUCATION

Surgical education in France has changed in recent years. It had to co nform to the transformation of surgery into a more scientific discipli ne, to European Community regulations, and to increasing costs of heal th care. It is now organized on a national scale and is based on anony mous selection. The main objective is to train general surgeons who on ly afterward become specialized in various surgical specialties. The a im is to make them able to adapt to the changes that will transform su rgery in the near future. In France the obligatory social insurance sy stem, called Social Security, reimburses most medical expenses for 99% of the population. Patients can be reimbursed in a similar way whethe r they seek treatment in a private or a public institution. However, t he system has to face major and presently unsolved problems due to the rapidly increasing cost of health care.