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In France, the government sets the number of 2nd year medical school seats available. Anyone can sign up for year 1, but only the top N students at the end of year exam make it to the second year.

This stands in stark contrast with the USA where the AMA calls the shots. In effect, the doctors control the supply of doctors.

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Either way the supply is controlled. Controlling the supply is the problem, not who does the controlling.

The restriction on supply is less about the number of medical school places and more about the number of residency training slots available post graduation from medical school.

Simply increasing the number of medical school places would result in many people spending years of their life (and in the US, 100s of thousands of dollars in debt) without then being able to then start their career.

Some degree of central planning seems reasonable here.

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