Gift cards for health checks in a medical biology laboratory to put under the Christmas tree? A fun idea that has been forcefully denounced for a few days on social networks.
It is these cards that offer here a thyroid evaluation, there a menopause evaluation, distributed by the Synlab network of laboratories (400 establishments in France) with an associated price that are fixed.
Enough to provoke the protest of some doctors against this “commodification” of medicine. Remember that an evaluation or test performed without a medical prescription is not reimbursed by Health Insurance.
In a statement, the French Union of Free Medicine (UFML-S) denounces “with the greatest firmness” this type of proposals in which “each patient can treat themselves or offer a gift, with packaging inspired by that of the ‘ smartbox or Wonderbox’. “.
For the union, this offer “leaves no doubt about the commercial approach to health of the Synlab group” and “condemns this commercial drift in the field of health that insidiously takes advantage of the shortage of doctors.”
“Commercial drift” versus “new form of access to prevention”
“These gift cards are totally scandalous: health is not a business in France and must remain so,” says Dr. Jimmy Mohamed on RTL. “We already know that medicine moves at two speeds in our country (…) but here we are crossing a limit with these gift cards that take advantage of the shortage of doctors to sell these evaluations.”
Questioned by BFM Business, Synlab is surprised by these criticisms. First of all, he reminds us that “any patient who wishes to undergo a biological test can request it at any laboratory and obtain it, without a prescription.” This assessment will not be reimbursed by Social Security except for an HIV test and in 2024 for other sexually transmitted diseases.
Above all, strongly question any idea of a gift card or prepaid card. “It’s a bit surprising. I have never sold and under no circumstances will I sell a gift card for a medical check-up,” explains Florian Scherrrer, medical director at Synlab.
“A medicalized and supervised trip”
The doctor reminds that these cards have existed since 2018 and have an informative objective for patients. “It is a simple informative support to remind you that this evaluation can be carried out without a medical prescription and how it works. We are not talking about consumption but about prevention. In no case can you hire an evaluation for a third party or pre-purchase an evaluation. “The amalgamation that has been made is very regrettable,” he continues.
“How we do?” for patients without a treating doctor
Who is this offer ultimately intended for? “Some find themselves in an emergency after unprotected sexual intercourse, for example. Others do not have a doctor who can prescribe them. What do we do for them? What is the solution for these patients? The reality is a legal path of treatment” . proposed by numerous laboratories for a long time, with the aim of promoting and simplifying access to prevention, which in France remains insufficient. We propose solutions, the culture of prevention must be able to adopt these types of forms.
“We are given marketing intentions but we do not mention all the elements, it is not reasonable,” the doctor complains about some of his colleagues. And to emphasize that these evaluations without a medical prescription represent “less than 0.1%” of the laboratory’s activity, 80% of them refer to sexually transmitted diseases and, therefore, are carried out by definition in an emergency.
Questioned by Le Figaro, the Council of the Order of Physicians evokes, for its part, “false good ideas (such as) cable cars in the stations. There we find offers in the form of cards that look very similar to gift cards (. ..) It’s a lot like advertising,” he says.
Source: BFM TV
