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HEALTH

People in France to get free health check ups at key ages

France's health minister has proposed free medical consultations for people aged 25, 45, and 65 in order to strengthen the country's 'preventative healthcare system'

Published: 19 September 2022 12:29 CEST
People in France to get free health check ups at key ages
A close-up picture shows a tensiometer in 2012 in northern France, during a medical check-up. (Photo by PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP)

France’s Minister of Health, François Braun, announced plans for free, preventative consultations for adults at “key ages”.

The Minister said on Monday that the proposal would be part of the 2022 bill to finance social security and healthcare. 

Braun explained on French radio channel, France Inter, that the key ages were chosen based on specific medical milestones.

The visit at age 25 would involve “updating one’s vaccination schedule, and taking stock of physical activity, as well as possible addictions”, he said.

Braun added that the assessment would also be open to those aged 24 or 26.

The one at age 45 would anticipate “the need for potential screenings”, whether that be for cardiovascular diseases or certain cancers, like those of the breast, cervix and colon. It would also assess, “physical activity and mental health disorders.”

READ MORE: How does healthcare in France compare?

Finally, the consultation at age 65 would focus on the “loss of autonomy”, and would offer screenings for cancer and preventable diseases.

The health minister noted that this measure would “strengthen the prevention component of the French healthcare system” which he considers to be “still far from the mark” when compared to France’s European neighbours. 

“Our country is not good in terms of prevention – we have been saying this for years, but now we have decided to act,” he told France Inter. 

In France, children benefit from regular, free health examinations prior to the age of 16, and after the age of 50, people registered with the public healthcare system receive invitations for specific health screenings, including breast cancer or colorectal cancer.

READ MORE: Assurance maladie: 5 things to know about France’s public healthcare system

However, this is not part of a comprehensive prevention campaign, and those outside of the system do not receive such reminders.

“The people furthest from the health care system are a priority,” explained the health minister on Monday. 

Braun did not specify where the medical visits were set to be conducted, specifically whether they would take place in specific centres or with attending physicians.

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POLITICS

8 things you never knew about Andorra

The tiny statelet nestled in the Pyrenees mountains that mark the border between France and Spain hit the headlines with its new language requirement for residency permits – but what else is there to know about Andorra?

Published: 26 April 2024 15:11 CEST
8 things you never knew about Andorra

This week, Andorra passed a law setting a minimum Catalan language requirement for foreign residents. 

It’s not often the tiny, independent principality in the mountains makes the news – other than, perhaps, when its national football team loses (again) to a rather larger rival in international qualifying competitions.

The national side are due to play Spain in early June, as part of the larger nation’s warm-up for the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. Here, then, in case you’re watching that match, at Estadio Nuevo Vivero, are a few facts about Andorra that you can astound your fellow football fans with…

Size matters

Small though it is – it has an area of just 468 square kilometres, a little more than half the size of the greater Paris area – there are five smaller states in Europe, 15 smaller countries in the world by area, and 10 smaller by population.

People

Its population in 2023 was 81,588. That’s fewer people than the city of Pau, in southwest France (which is itself the 65th largest town in France, by population).

High-living

The principality’s capital, Andorra la Vella (population c20,000 – about the same population as Dax) is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres above sea level. 

Spoken words

The official language – and the one you’ll need for a residency permit – is Catalan. But visitors will find Spanish, Portuguese and French are also commonly spoken, and a fair few people will speak some English, too.

Sport

We’ve already mentioned the football. But Andorra’s main claim to sporting fame is as a renowned winter sports venue. With about 350km of ski runs, across 3,100 hectares of mountainous terrain, it boasts the largest ski area in the Pyrenees.

Economic model

Tourism, the mainstay of the economy, accounts for roughly 80 percent of Andorra’s GDP. More than 10 million tourists visit every year.

It also has no sales tax on most items – which is why you’ll often find a queue at the French border as locals pop into the principality to buy things like alcohol, cigarettes and (bizarrely) washing powder, which are significantly cheaper.

Head of state

Andorra has two heads of state, because history. It’s believed the principality was created by Charlemagne (c748 – 814CE), and was ruled by the count of Urgell up to 988CE, when it was handed over to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. The principality, as we know it today, was formed by a treaty between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix in 1278.

Today, the state is jointly ruled by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain and … the president of France, who (despite the French aversion to monarchy and nobility) has the title Prince of Andorra, following the transfer of the count of Foix’s claims to the Crown of France and, subsequently, to the head of state of the French Republic. 

Military, of sorts

Andorra does have a small, mostly ceremonial army. But all able-bodied Andorran men aged between 21 and 60 are obliged to respond to emergency situations, including natural disasters.

Legally, a rifle should be kept and maintained in every Andorran household – though the same law also states that the police will supply a firearm if one is required.

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