France's Health Ministry announced Sunday, August 2, that physiotherapists will begin offering appointments under the country's "Mon Bilan Prévention" (My Prevention Check-up) program starting in October.
The program offers a free 30 to 45 minute meeting with a health professional at what the ministry calls key ages of life. It is open to people aged 18 to 25, 45 to 50, 60 to 65, or 70 to 75. Since its launch in 2024, 612,000 people have used the service, the ministry said.
The sessions, fully covered by France's national health insurance, aim to spot problems such as mental health struggles among young people, the onset of chronic diseases like cancer or diabetes, and the risk of dependency, loss of autonomy or isolation.
How the checkup works
Patients book an appointment with a doctor, nurse, midwife or pharmacist through the santé.fr website or their usual health provider. They are then invited to fill out an optional questionnaire on their lifestyle habits, main risk factors and personal goals, according to Assurance Maladie, the national health insurance agency.
During the appointment, the patient and the health professional agree on one or two priority topics, drawing on the patient's medical history, daily habits, mental and social wellbeing, and health record, including recent vaccines or dental visits. For people over 60, the checkup pays particular attention to signs of lost autonomy.
At the end of the session, the professional and patient draw up a personalized prevention plan setting shared priority goals, obstacles to changing habits, concrete steps to take, and resources or contacts the patient can turn to, Assurance Maladie said.
Pharmacists lead the way
Since autumn 2025, pharmacists have become the main professionals carrying out the checkups, accounting for more than half of all sessions performed, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Nearly 10,000 professionals are listed as available to conduct the appointments in a dedicated directory on santé.fr, it added.
According to data released by the government in 2024, 20 million people in France could be eligible for the checkups.
