Interregional inequity is a long-standing concern. The less affluent southern regions trail the northern regions in the number of beds and availability of advanced medical equipment, have more private facilities, and have less-developed community care services. Data show a rise in interregional mobility in the 1990s, with movement particularly from southern to central and northern regions (France, 1997). Income-related disparities in self-reported health status are significant, though relatively low and similar to those observed in the Netherlands, Germany, and other European countries (Van Doorslaer and Koolman, 2004).
The National Health Plan for 2006–2008 cites overcoming large regional discrepancies in care quality as a key objective for future reform. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economics and Finance signed an agreement in April 2007 to direct EU resources toward health services in eight regions in the south, as a first step in reducing this persistent variation. Regions receive a proportion of funding from an equalization fund (the National Solidarity Fund), which aims to reduce inequalities between northern and southern regions. Aggregate funding for the regions is set by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, and the resource allocation mechanism is based on capitation adjusted for demographic characteristics and use of health services by age and sex.
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