Michèle Barzach, Former French Health Minister and AIDS Campaigner, Dies at 83

Michèle Barzach, who served as France's minister of health and family during the cohabitation government of Jacques Chirac from 1986 to 1988, died on Monday at the age of 83 following a stroke. Her daughter, Tatiana Renard-Barzach, announced her passing to Agence France-Presse.

A gynecologist by profession, Barzach initially entered national politics in the 1980s as the national delegate for social affairs within the Rally for the Republic, a right-wing party led by Chirac. During her tenure at the Ministry of Health, she played a prominent role in establishing France's earliest public health policies aimed at combating the AIDS epidemic. Notably, she successfully championed legislation that lifted bans on advertising condoms on television and in print.

Her public health campaigns involved frequent appearances across print and broadcast media to raise awareness about the virus. Beyond her ministerial duties, Barzach was elected as a member of parliament for Paris in 1988 and served as a deputy mayor under Chirac until 1995.

Despite her close alignment with Chirac, Barzach experienced growing political friction with other senior members of her party. She famously criticized hardline figures like Charles Pasqua, whom she viewed as embodying a rightward drift within the party. These disagreements culminated in her resignation from the political party in 1990.

Continuing her advocacy beyond traditional party politics, she joined forces with Simone Veil in 1996 to sign a manifesto demanding gender parity in French political life. She subsequently shifted her focus toward humanitarian efforts, working with organizations such as Doctors of the World and presiding over the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, which supports healthcare access for families in sub-Saharan Africa.

From 2012 to 2015, Barzach served as the president of UNICEF France. Later in her career, she advised the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and various developing nations as well as governments in Eastern Europe.

Throughout her varied career, Barzach also faced notable controversies. She drew criticism in connection to the Matzneff affair over allegations that she had prescribed contraceptive pills to young victims of the writer. Additionally, she faced public scrutiny in 2020 for advocating the use of hydroxychloroquine.

Colleagues and public health advocates remember her as a trailblazing figure who broke barriers in political leadership and confronted major public health crises during a critical period in modern European history.