After the National Council of Dental Surgeons in 2016 and the National Physiotherapists Council in 2017, the Cour des comptes has audited the National Medical Council (CNOM), 46 Local Medical Councils (out of 101) and the 24 Regional Medical Councils, of the Order of Physicians.
Created in 1945, the Order of Physicians is a private body entrusted with a public service mission. Its role is to ensure that practitioners comply with ethical rules and to uphold the profession’s independence and honour.
It possesses annual resources of around €85 million, provided by mandatory subscriptions from some 300,000 physicians, reserves of €152 million and assets valued at €110 million.
The Order has only taken marginal account of the recommendations made by the Court in 2012 following its previous audit: it is still marked by problems of governance, serious failures in management, continuing inadequacies in the performance of its missions, and a lack of rigour in handling patients’ complaints.
