The real cost of medical immigration is beginning to weigh heavily on all levels of the health system… In an exclusive note revealed by Mariannethe “Laboratory of the Republic”, directed by Jean-Michel Blanquer, draws up an alarming observation, in particular on the effects of the system for regularizing seriously ill foreigners.
Established in 1998, this temporary residence permit allows a person in an irregular situation to obtain protection, during their treatment, when this is not available in their country of origin. Problem: over time, its scope of application has expanded considerably…
Initially reserved for seriously ill foreign people, the system is now aimed at all those whose medical needs are not accessible in their country of origin – including for situations which no longer constitute a vital emergency. Marianne cites in particular the case of a Djibouti national wishing to obtain PMA for a sixth child, under the right to treatment, even though her file had been judged unfavorable by the French Office of Immigration and Integration (Ofii).
Very expensive treatments
This generosity attracts. Some patients now come to France specifically in the hope of receiving free treatment, sometimes referred by networks of smugglers who do not hesitate to directly threaten caregivers: “It has happened that smugglers have sold the hope of free treatment in France”testifies an oncologist on condition of anonymity to our colleagues. “We find ourselves with patients who have paid up to €50,000 to come and be treated here. »
Between 2017 and 2024, more than 220,000 requests for access to the title “sick stranger” were submitted, with an average acceptance rate of 58%, according to Ofii. These applicants mainly come from sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb and Eastern Europe, but also from the United States, where social security coverage is very meager compared to France.
Some require particularly heavy… and expensive treatments. According to internal data from Ofii, treatment for spinal muscular atrophy can reach 420,000 euros per year per patient and treatment for hemophilia 190,000 euros, while that for intestinal cancer is around 133,000 euros.
According to the weekly, in 2024, in the category of the most expensive drugs, more than 250 foreign patients with a title “sick stranger” would have benefited from care. The overall amount? 16 million euros, or around 64,000 euros per patient. A considerable effort for an already exhausted hospital system – especially since these beneficiaries, the vast majority of whom are in an irregular situation, do not contribute to French Social Security. Worse: this sum would not even cover the entire cost of the residence permit system for care, which has never yet been quantified…
