The French healthcare system

During June 2014, the study tour "The French Healthcare System" was held in Marseille, France. It was attended by 26 delegates comprising of the managers and chief physicians of Russian medical institutions, as well as leading experts from the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. This study visit was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Buryatia and the Manager of legal and international affairs of Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, Vladislav Povod. French people have excelled in the healthcare sector and have topped the charts as number 1 on the world's healthcare ranking. Russians had a lot to benefit from this learning tour to France.

This was by all standards a high-level study tour as it was graced with the presence of representatives of the Regional Health Administration of France. They enlightened the participants of the seminar on the features of health care in France, its prevalent types of health insurance, in addition to the various types of medical establishments in France.

The delegates of this educational tour had the opportunity to visit hospitals managed by various forms of ownership. One such institution was the St. Joseph Hospital which is renowned for its use of innovative technologies in advancing healthcare in France. Succeeding the presentation by the hospital's PR director, the participants had the chance to observe firsthand the robotic surgical system known as Da Vinchi. The participants also learnt about the diagnostics that utilizes the endoscopic video capsule. In addition to this, they learnt about an imaging method known as Elastography. This method maps the elastic properties of the liver tissue and it is performed using the FibroScan system.

During a visit to the Public Hospital "Centre hospitalier du Pays d'Aix"- also known as the General Hospital located in Frejus, the participants had the chance to interact with the hospital's Director of Quality Control, Ms. Isabelle Gransham. She informed the participants about the specifics of hospital management, management of resources and the principles of economic incentives for medical personnel. Thereafter, the participants were given a tour of the hospital's departments.

At the end of the study tour which spanned for 5 days, the delegations had no doubt gained adequate knowledge about the French's health system- one of the best in the world, but they also had an understanding of the basics of hospital administration and management.