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NEW TARGETS AND PUBLIC HEALTH CRITERIA FOR DOCTORS WILL SEE THEM EARN POINTS THAT ARE TURNED INTO MONEY DOCTORS could boost their pay by up to €9,000 a year under a new bonus scheme that

aims to reward the most efficient practices around France. The Assurance Maladie signed a deal with three major GPs' unions last night, after 18 hours of negotiations, to extend the

performance-related scheme to all independent doctors. From next January, they will be set targets and assessed against 30 key public health criteria. Meeting each target will earn points,

which are turned into a bonus at the end of the year. The targets include vaccination rates against seasonal flu, cancer screenings and ongoing care for people with diabetes or high blood

pressure. GPs will also be rewarded for prescribing generic versions of a medicine instead of more expensive brand names, and for using computer software instead of paper forms. The

Assurance Maladie hopes the scheme will encourage doctors to stay efficient and save the system money by detecting and preventing llnesses before expensive treatment is needed. The body has

also agreed to provide grants of up to €5,000 a year to doctors who choose to set up a practice in a "medical desert" - a part of France where there is a severe shortage of

doctors. Doctors' union CSMF said the pay deal was a "revolution" that would "shake up the medical profession".