France's health care system's problems are likely to worsen before the situation improves, President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged, promising to improve working conditions and hire more assistants for doctors to perform administrative tasks.

France, like many other European countries, faces a shortage of medical personnel, especially in rural areas, with many hospitals overburdened, an aging population, large numbers of doctors and nurses retiring, and a system entangled in bureaucracy, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, he said, the government is stepping up the hiring of paramedics, freeing up health workers to treat patients rather than perform administrative tasks.

While promising to change the way hospitals operate by June, Macron also said his government will take steps to increase cooperation between different parts of the health care system and improve control over working hours.

Simply paying more money is not enough to make the profession more attractive, he said, and his government will largely do away with fee-for-service funding for hospitals.

Critics say the system has pushed hospitals into a downward spiral, seeking to provide large amounts of for-profit care while cutting costs and care in other areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected already depleted medical resources. Many hospitals had to cancel scheduled surgeries or close emergency services overnight this winter as the simultaneous surge in bronchiolitis and influenza cases led to an increase in COVID-related hospitalizations in some areas.