Overview
- The Igas review, completed in January 2026 and quietly published in early August after press reporting revealed its existence, has drawn ire from clinicians and local officials for the delay.
- Igas concludes the deterioration is multifactorial, citing older maternal age, more multiple pregnancies and stark social and territorial inequalities as major drivers of higher infant and perinatal deaths.
- The report rejects the idea that recent closures of small maternity units are the primary cause and warns that simply raising the legal 300 births-per-year activity threshold would be a mechanical and dated response.
- Official statistics from DREES released in July 2026 show a clear worsening in 2024, with about 7,398 perinatal deaths that year and an infant mortality rate above four deaths per 1,000 live births.
- The Health Ministry praised the report and Minister Stéphanie Rist has announced measures broadly aligned with its recommendations, but the publication timing has politicized the debate and shifted the policy fight toward prevention and neonatal capacity ahead of October deliberations.