Private doctors: which specialists saw their income drop the most last year?

The consultation with the doctor increased by 1.50 euros on November 1, from 25 to 26.50 euros. A price far from what the doctors were demanding, who have been fighting for months to increase the consultation to 30 euros. While negotiations have resumed with Health Insurance, doctors are highlighting the increase in charges which is impacting the activity of their practice and their income. As proof, net income (BNC - non-commercial profits) after professional charges fell by 4% in 2022, according to figures published Tuesday by CARMF, their pension fund.

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This drop over one year is partly explained because activity returned to normal in 2022, after a year 2021 marked by catching up on care, following the Covid crisis and the year 2020 which led to numerous business interruptions. But this is not the only factor involved: the drop in income in 2022 can also be explained by the increase in charges linked to inflation. “Taking into account inflation at 5.22% in 2022, the loss of purchasing power is 8.66%,” says CARMF, highlighting an “unprecedented” situation.

The income of general practitioners falls more sharply (-5.72%) than that of specialists (-2.65%). In detail, the income of general practitioners in sector 1 recorded the largest drop observed (-5.68%) since the CARMF produced these statistics, i.e. around twenty years, just as for general practitioners in sector 2 (-7 .02%).

Among specialist doctors, the income of doctors in sectors 1 and 2 also falls: respectively -2.93% and -2.17%, but less than in 2020, the year of Covid when the drop in income of specialists revolved around 8%. The most significant declines are found among oncologists (-7.11% all sectors combined; -5.84% for those in sector 1 and -13.97% for those in sector 2), medical gynecologists (-6. 56%) or obstetrician-gynecologists (-6.37%).

Among the rare increases in specialties with a representative workforce, we find medical biologists (10.39%), anatomy, pathological cytology (7.75%) and radiology (1.95%).

“It is high time for the government to wake up and open its eyes. The actions are undervalued in relation to the costs, says Dr. Lardenois, President of the CARMF. Everyone cries about the lack of doctors, but pay them, respect them and you will have doctors. Many young graduates do not settle down due to the lack of attractiveness of the profession,” he continues. “The only increase in income is observed in specialties with a strong tendency towards financialization, as is already the case for biologists and in progress among radiologists,” underlines Dr. Lardenois. The financialization of health - with the takeover by liberal firms by investment funds with speculative logic - also worries Health Insurance. “We must strengthen the expertise of public authorities on the subject, identify the gaps which would allow investors to become the majority where this is not desirable,” declared Thomas Fatôme, director of Health Insurance last July.