Mandatory flu jab is planned for French doctors despite dissent from experts

Doctors in France could face compulsory annual flu vaccinations, as the government has pledged to introduce the policy within the next few years.The French government hopes that the mandate will help protect vulnerable people from the virus when they come into contact with medical staff.The move came despite opposition from most medical experts on the government’s own vaccination policy advisory panel.Stéphanie Rist, health minister, said that the vaccination mandate would apply to all hospital and non-hospital health professionals, support staff working in hospitals or long term care institutions, and medical students, Agence France Presse reported.Rist added that details of the policy and a timetable for implementation would be finalised in the coming weeks. But she has said that there will be no penalties for practitioners failing to comply in the policy’s first year.The flu jab mandate for France was a recommendation by the National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de…