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Condoms will now be reimbursed by the Social Security on prescription, an additional tool to fight against AIDS and badual infections welcomed by the badociations, while prevention marks the pace.
"From December 10", the French can get "boxes of 6, 12 or 24 condoms (…) pharmacy dispensary on presentation of a prescription from a doctor or a midwife ", detailed Tuesday the Ministry of Health, in the wake of the announcement made by Agnès Buzyn.
The initiative aims to "diversify prevention of STIs (badually transmitted infections, NDLR) and HIV" to reach as many people as possible, said the ministry, ahead of World AIDS Day Saturday.
"Anything that promotes access to prevention tools whatsoever can be good news (…) There must be no financial obstacle, whatever the means chosen", has greeted Florence Thune, Director General of Sidaction, interviewed by AFP.
"This is another string to our bow", also welcomed Caroline Izambert, one of the leaders of Aides, pointing out that the reimbursement of condoms is requested by badociations "since the beginning of the fight against AIDS ".
In recent years, the number of new HIV infections is no longer declining in France, with around 6,000 new cases per year, and some STIs such as gonococcal infections are on the increase.
But by 2030 the government aims to "zero new infections" with HIV and the elimination of STIs "as major public health problems".
The reimbursement is for the moment only one brand: Eden male condoms, manufactured by Majorelle, the first laboratory to make such a move in France.
– '1,30 euro the box of six' –
According to a decree published Tuesday, this condom will benefit from "a refund rate of 60%" on the basis of a selling price of 1.30 euro the box of six, 2.60 euros the box of 12 and 5, 20 euros the box of 24, detailed the French group.
"We can now (…) go see his doctor and have condoms refunded on prescription," said Health Minister Agnès Buzyn on France Inter.
In particular, she hopes that the free prevention consultation, created for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17, will be an opportunity to discuss the topic of badual health with doctors.
Florence Thune, however, expresses concern about "the ease of a young person going to make an appointment with a doctor, often the family doctor, to talk about baduality".
Every year, we discover "around 800 to 1,000 new cases" of HIV infection among people under 25, who often use condoms for their first badual intercourse, but not in the following acts. " the minister said.
"Taking care of and obtaining prescription medical Eden will help revitalize the image of the condom, sending a strong signal that it is not a badual gadget but a real tool essential prevention, (and) to develop its use, especially among young people and new users whose purchasing power is very constrained, "said Majorelle.
The badociations hope that other brands will follow suit, to adapt to the preferences and needs of everyone (latex allergy, for example), and argue that the female condom is also affected by the device.
This initiative should not be at the expense of budgets for the free distribution of condoms, also underlines Caroline Izambert.
According to Agnès Buzyn, the Ministry of Health finances the distribution of about 5 million free condoms a year. A total of 120 million condoms were sold in France last year – two-thirds in supermarkets and one-third in pharmacies – according to Majorelle.
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