Radiologists in France have proceeded with the threatened industrial action on 1 October. The true scale of the walkout is not clear yet, but the 1,250 radiologists and radiotherapists from the Vidi network have joined the strike.
The strike is against the spending proposals of the French National Health Insurance Fund (Caisse Nationale de l'Assurance Maladie, CNAM), the country’s main public health insurer. It’s being led by the National Federation of Medical Radiologists (FNMR).
“The member groups of the Vidi network are following FNMR recommendations and have filed a notice of strike action for on-call care in healthcare facilities starting October 1, 2025,” noted a press release from Vidi. “They have also contacted their Parliamentarians, local elected officials, and patient associations to alert them to the predicted deterioration in working conditions.”
Some groups are also considering suspending their participation in the demands by the Regional Health Authorities' (Agence Régionale de Santés, ARS) for applications for relevance programs, or even stopping their contributions to the Shared Medical Record (Dossier Médical Partagé, DMP), the statement added.
Nearly 75% of Vidi's members are currently pursuing development projects, opening new centers, acquiring equipment, and strengthening patient capacity. “These investments are essential for access to diagnostic imaging, screening, and therapeutic imaging, and they represent a strong commitment to serving patients and the healthcare system,” the network said.
The CNAM’s plans to cut imaging spending by €300 million over the next two years seriously jeopardize the implementation of these projects, with serious consequences for access to care, it continued, noting that the Vidi network represents 25% of all private radiologists in France. The network has a total of 330 sites.
Unprecedented attacks
In a press release dated 1 October, the FNMR noted that the CNAM is making "unprecedented attacks" on radiology and "the health of the French people."
Instead of implementing the relevance plan proposed by the FNMR to save €300 million, the CNAM "has decided, purely out of ideology, to impose reductions in the technical fees for CT and MRI scans and to attack modern imaging," the association stated.
The consequences for patients will be no access to innovation and AI, increased exposure to x-ray, and more injected contrast agents, even longer appointment times, and closure of local practices, it pointed out.
The FNMR advocates an indefinite strike in emergency departments and on-call care in healthcare facilities; refusal to send reports to the Dossier Médical Partagé (Shared Medical Record); mobilization in the regions to inform Parliamentarians, local elected officials, and patient associations; and refusal to participate in calls for applications launched by the ARS for relevance, while the CNAM refuses to implement such a scheme at the national level.
"Radiologists are fighting back!" the FNMR said, adding that it will not accept the end of modern radiology. "Patients should not suffer the consequences of these measures, which will exacerbate regional inequalities. Radiologists have made realistic cost-saving proposals. We refuse to endorse a deterioration in healthcare provision resulting from a purely accounting approach."
The situation in Paris
In the Île-de-France region comprising Paris and surrounding areas, some groups have initiated a strike affecting emergency medical services, starting on 1 October, according to Dr. Alexandre Fuchs, president of the Conseil Professionnel de la Radiologie Française, known as the G4.
"Other groups are ready to join the strike if the CNAM persists in refusing to consider the efficiency proposals put forward by private and hospital radiologists, which would allow for real savings in the short and long term," he told AuntMinnnieEurope.com.
If the CNAM insists on "arbitrarily deducting €300 million euros," there is a risk that the quality of patient care will suffer, particularly because "we will no longer be able to afford investments in the latest technological advancements."
The national French radiology conference, JFR 2025, begins in Paris on 3 October. To find out what’s new at this year’s congress, check out our interview with JFR Congress President Prof. Mathieu Lederlin.
