The Chair of the Senate Social Affairs Committee has asked the Court of Accounts to carry out a survey on "respiratory health". Its aim is to assess the effectiveness of policies to prevent and combat the main respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer. These three diseases have been selected because of the large number of patients suffering from them (10 % of the French have one of these three diseases) and the consequences in terms of quality of life, health and public spending. In terms of cost, in 2021 the French health insurance system estimated that the cost of treating chronic respiratory diseases would be €3.7bn. A further €3bn in health insurance expenditure must be added for lung cancer, giving a total for all respiratory diseases of €6.7 billion. The survey focused not only on the health system, but also on the objectives set and the resources mobilised to combat environmental risk factors and their impact on respiratory health.
