 | Getting medical help in France ..... |
| About-France.com More than just a travel guide | |
This page offers general and useful information for
tourists needing medical help, or wanting to see a doctor in France. A
benign medical emergency can become a disaster when compounded by total
ignorance of the health system of the country being visited. The
information below will help you prepare your trip to France, and let
you know what to do if you need to call a doctor, or take someone to
hospital. Sickness, accidents: what to do in an emergency► ROAD ACCIDENTS: For what to do in the event of a road accident: see Driving in France: accidents | ||||
Emergency telephone numbers:►►► Call 15 : this is the national emergency number for medical aid. It will get you the SAMU service, with an ambulance (Service d'Aide Médical d'Urgence - or Medical Emergency Aid Service). Be prepared to indicate exactly where you are located, and the circumstances of the incident. Call 18: this is the general emergency number, like 999 in the UK, which will get you connected to the most appropriate service. Call 112: this is the standard European emergency number. Though be careful, if you are near a land border, for instance in Alsace, a call to 112 from a mobile phone may get directed to the emergency services in the neighbouring country. Before you travel - health insurance & the EHIC card :Health: Visitors from European Union countries (i.e. the United Kingdom, Ireland, etc.) are strongly advised to make sure that they have health insurance cover before travelling to France or any other foreign country. For France, UK visitors should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which has replaced the old E 111 form.The EHIC, which is usually issued for up to five years, covers any medical treatment you may need during your visit to France, as a result of accident or sickness. The card gives access to treatment by doctors, dentists, and in public hospitals, or private clinics operating within the French "sécurité sociale" (health service) framework. Note that the EHIC does not normally cover the full cost of medical treatment in France or other countries; the NHS recommends that all travellers also take out private health insurance, to cover the difference. Visitors who do not come from EU countries must take out private health insurance cover in order to benefit from France's excellent state health service. Finding a doctor / hospital / ambulance France has a dense network of medical practitioners, and there are doctor's surgeries (doctor's offices - for Americans) (called "cabinets") even in very small towns. Many doctors operate joint practices, though many have their own private surgeries / offices. To find a doctor, ask any local resident, or find a chemists and enquire. In theory, you can go to the surgery of any GP during opening hours.The number of hospitals in France is falling, as cost-cutting measures are introduced; but it is still possible to find a hospital with some kind of accident or emergency service in most medium-sized towns. Look for signs for "Hôpital" or (why use one word when two are possible!) "Centre hospitalier". In bigger towns or cities, look for signs to the CHR (Centre hospitalier régional) or CHU (centre hospitalier universitaire). Home visits: if the patient is too sick to move, a doctor will make a home visit. Ask your hotel / campsite / gite owner or neighbour to call a local medic. The cost is slightly higher than a surgery visit; payment and refunding are the same as for a surgery visit. Sunday and night time calls: in all big towns, and some smaller ones too, doctors and chemists' remain on duty by rota. Local gendarmeries (police stations) can usually provide the phone number of the duty doctor and chemists (médecin de garde, pharmacie de garde); alternatively, ring round local chemists shops until one answers. Doctors are often quite happy to do night calls; often these are done by young doctors, who appreciate the extra payment for coming out at anti-social hours. Paperwork, formalities: If you see a doctor, or a hospital, you will be given a signed "feuille de soins" (a statement of the treatment carried out), and possibly an "ordonnance" (a prescription). These must be kept carefully, as you will need to send them in in order to claim reimbursement. You will need to take the "ordonnance" to a chemists, where you will have to pay for the items. If you have an EHIC card, you will be reimbursed later, (see below), and your medicines will probably end up costing you quite a bit less than they would have cost in the UK. Doctors and hospitals: the cost: The current cost of a standard visit to a GP (general practitioner) in France is 23 € (Spring 2011) . For payment and reimbursement, see below. Visits to specialists and to the hospital cost more, as do home visits and visits at night and weekends.. Paying, and getting reimbursed: The standard principle of the French health service is "pay first, reclaim, then get reimbursed"; but for this does not always apply in the event of hospital treatment.
Further information: The CPAM of the Haute Vienne department, in the west of France, has a useful website in English, giving full details of procedures, rates, costs etc. Useful words: Doctor: un médecin [earn med-sanne] |
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