French Public Health Code
In forceI. - Associations that have been duly registered and are active in the field of health quality and patient care may be approved by the competent administrative authority at either regional or national level. Approval is granted with the assent of a national commission comprising representatives of the State, including a member of the administrative courts and a member of the Cour de Cassation (Court of Cassation), both active and honorary, a Member of Parliament and a Senator and their alternates, as well as persons qualified by their expertise or experience in the field of associations. In particular, approval is subject to the association's effective and public activity in defending the rights of patients and users of the healthcare system, as well as its training and information activities, the transparency of its management, its representativeness and its independence. The conditions for approval and withdrawal of approval, as well as the composition and operation of the national commission, are determined by decree in the Conseil d'Etat.
Only approved associations represent users of the healthcare system in hospital or public health bodies.
II. - The user representatives on the bodies mentioned in I undergo basic training provided by the associations of user representatives approved under the same I.
This training complies with a set of specifications. The specifications and the list of associations providing the training are approved by the Minister for Health.
The training entitles the user representative to compensation paid by the association providing the training. A decree determines the terms and conditions under which a public subsidy is allocated to the association for this purpose. An order from the Minister for Health sets the amount of this allowance.
