France provides “very mediocre” care provision compared to other European countries, warns the Court of Auditors

The magistrates recommend improving the quality and safety of the provision of perinatal care. They call in particular to look “on a case-by-case basis” at small maternity hospitals, which encounter difficulties “in attracting and retaining qualified staff”.

In terms of perinatal care, “the current situation does not meet the requirements for optimal safety or efficiency in the organization of healthcare provision”, estimated the Court of Auditors. In a report presented Monday May 6, the magistrates of rue Cambon question “the efficiency of the allocated resources”, emphasizing the “poor health outcomes” of France in this area.

“While the resources devoted to perinatal policy are ever greater (9.3 billion euros in 2021, up 9% compared to 2016) and the birth rate is falling (-5.6% over the same period )“, THE tip report “significant perinatal risks”, sometimes more frequent (obesity, late pregnancies, etc.), and “strong social and territorial inequalities” affecting in particular mothers born abroad and overseas, as well as a “incomplete epidemiological monitoring system”.

So, “the main indicators of perinatal health – (…) neonatal mortality and maternal mortality – highlight France’s very poor performance compared to other European countries”, alerts the Court of Auditors.

For “larger and safer” maternity wards

The report calls in particular for regulation of the organization and technical conditions of operation of maternity wards “unchanged for twenty-five years”, not appearing “adapted neither to the evolution of care nor to the restructuring of the care offer”. The Court notes that around twenty maternity wards still deviate from the minimum threshold of 300 annual deliveries and recommends looking into “case by case” on small maternity wards. “L“The growing difficulties of maternity wards providing fewer than 1,000 deliveries per year to attract and retain qualified personnel call for a case-by-case analysis of the conditions for carrying out their missions.”estimate the magistrates.

“In the trade-off between accessibility and security, we advocate moving towards security”, summed up the first president of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici, during a press conference, affirming that“a medical and scientific consensus is emerging in favor of larger and safer structures.”