Introduction to French Medical Services
What you need to know Accessing family doctors In France patients are free to choose any General Practitioner or family doctor, known here as “généralistes”. They often work in small single-handed practices and they may not always have secretarial support so when you call to make an appointment you may speak directly to the doctor who may be in the middle of a consultation. It is advisable to register with a doctor who will then be able to keep your medical records and refer you to specialists if required. There are several good doctors in the area, some of which speak English. Feel free to ask friends, Welcome Mothers or the school nurses for advice regarding local doctors. If you are not satisfied with you can always try another doctors. For a complete list of Généralistes you can refer to the local guide for your town provided by the Mairie. Most doctors work Monday to Saturday lunchtime. The hours are usually from 9am and it is usually possible to get evening appointments until about 7-7:30pm. For medical problems outside these hours, which do not require an ambulance or A&E care, you can call: SOS Médecins Tel: 01.39.58.58.58 or SOS Dentistes Tel: 01.43.37.51.00 who do house calls out of hours. On a Sunday you can call 15 to get the number of the “Medecin de Garde” who is the on-call doctor for the area from 9am-1pm. You can have a normal consultation in the on-call doctor’s practice.
Payment for medical services Often when you first arrive in France you will not have had time to get set up with the French social security system (La Sécu) and depending on your circumstances you may never do so. If you are going to be covered by a foreign health insurance policy and do not come under the French system then it is relatively simple. Every time you see a doctor, a dentist, any medical service or pharmacy you will be given a bill, often a brown form known as the “Feuille de Soin”. You pay for the service directly and then you send the bill off to your insurance company, who will then reimburse you. If you are going to require an operation or more extensive treatment you may need to confirm with your insurance company first to ensure that they are prepared to reimburse you for this. If you are going to be covered under the French system you will eventually receive a “Carte Vitale”; this can take several months to years to arrive. You will also pay for the services directly and before you receive your Carte Vitale you should send the brown Feuille de Soin to the local CPAM office. They will arrange for you to be reimbursed. This will be partly by the French social security system and partly by your French insurance company (Mutuelle). Again if you are going to have expensive treatment or medications it may be worth checking that you will be refunded. Once you receive the Carte Vitale you can offer this to the doctor or pharmacist and they can transmit the information directly so that you no longer need to send off the Feuille de Soin. Often company personnel officers can organize the paperwork for you but for further information regarding the French social security system you should contact: Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) 78085 Yvelines cedex 9 or, if you live outside Yvelines, write to your local CPAM office which you can find online. Most doctors do now accept credit cards but not in all cases, it may be worthwhile checking, in advance.
What you need to know Pharmacies The local pharmacists can be very helpful and some do speak English. They can give advice for minor injuries and complaints and recommend non-prescription drugs (not usually refunded by the Sécu). The Pharmacies are open from Monday afternoon to Saturday evening and they are usually closed for lunch. The pharmacy at Carrefour shopping centre is open on Monday mornings. Outside these times you can find the address of the on-call pharmacy “pharmacie de garde” which should be displayed in pharmacy windows, from the local police or on the internet www.pharmaciesdegarde.com. Please note that the Pharmacie des Champs-Elysées, 84, ave des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris, Tel: 01.45.62.02.41 stays open 24 hours and is English speaking. The Sécu prefer you to have the generic equivalent of the medication. You are not obliged to accept the generic but the Sécu payment will be based on the cheaper product. If you do not wish the generic ask your doctor to write “NON générique” on the prescription.
Medical Emergencies
Please refer to your individual town guide for a complete list of emergency telephone numbers. Emergency Ambulance Service (Le SAMU): 15 The doctor on duty will decide which ambulance and personnel to send. You will be sent to the hospital that has the best capacity to deal with your situation. You should have the details of your location to hand so that the ambulance can find you quickly. Fire Brigade (Les Pompiers): 18 In France the fireman not only deal with fires they are also paramedics and can deal with all types of accidents and cardiac arrests. From a mobile phone you should dial: 112 (throughout Europe) for all emergencies and you will be connected to the relevant service. In a less urgent situation you could drive directly to your nearest Accident and Emergency room (see list below). There is also the option to call SOS Medecins, mentioned earlier. There is an English language crisis help line, SOS help: 01.46.21.46.46. Local accident and emergency centres: Hôpital Mignot (Centre Hospitalier de Versailles) 177, rue de Versailles, 78157 Le Chesnay Tel: 01.39.63.91.33 From Croissy cross Bougival bridge and follow the road up the hill, through La Celle St Cloud, go under the A13 and straight across the roundabout, go down the hill and the “Urgences” is marked on the right side. It takes about 15 minutes to drive there from Croissy. CMC Parly 2 21 Rue Moxouris 78150 Le Chesnay Tel: 01.39.55.63.93 This is a partially private hospital and the waiting times are sometimes better. Please see website for directions www.generalede-sante.fr/hopital-prive-de-parly2-le-chesnay. It is 5 minutes further than Hôpital Mignot.
What you need to know Hôpital de St Germain-en-Laye et Poissy 20, rue Armagis, 78100 Saint-Germain-en-Laye Tel: 01.39.27.40.50 10, rue du Champ Gaillard, 78300 Poissy Tel: 01.39.27.40.50 The Hospital in Saint-Germain receives adult emergencies from 9h to 18h from Monday to Friday. Outside these hours Poissy receives the Saint-Germain emergencies as well as paediatric emergencies 24h/24. Please see the website for directions www.chi-poissy-st-germain.fr Centre Hospitalier Privé de l’Europe 9 bis, rue Saint-Germain, 78560 Le Port-Marly Emergency Department Tel: 01.39.17.24.24 7/7 - 24h/24. We recommend that you have a look at the websites so that you have a plan of action in case of emergencies. There is a hospital in Le Vésinet but it is for more chronic problems and does not accept emergencies. In addition to these local hospitals there are many good hospitals in Paris. There is the American Hospital of Paris where some of the staff and most of the doctors do speak some English. It is advisable to call first as it can sometimes be too full to accept new patients. It is also not within the French social security system and can be very expensive. American Hospital Paris 6 bvd Victor Hugo, 92200 Neuilly Tel: 0146412525 It is a good idea to confirm with your insurance company first to ensure that they are prepared to reimburse you for this.
What you need to know
How does medical practice differ in France? Medical Certificates You may have already been asked for one of these for yourself or for your child. It is a big difference from British practice but if done correctly it is a good opportunity to ensure you have an annual medical check up and that vaccinations are all up to date. You will need a medical certificate if you intend to join any sports club or you wish to participate in any sport competition such as a Marathon. Vaccinations Doctors in France will not invite children in for vaccinations but you should take the opportunity to ask your doctor if any vaccinations are due. The vaccination schedules differ slightly to the UK and you can opt to follow your own country’s system if you prefer unless the school particularly want the children to be updated with vaccines prior to school trips. The normal procedure is to see the doctor and discuss the vaccinations then the doctor will issue a prescription. The patient collects the vaccine from the pharmacy and stores it in the fridge until the appointment for the vaccine to be administered. It is advisable that the patient is healthy before they receive a vaccine. Contraception Most of the contraceptive pills available in the UK are also available in France. They are not refunded by the Secu. The morning after pill (contraception d’urgence) is available from the pharmacist without a prescription. Cultural differences There are some differences between the systems. Doctors in France do not receive a salary so any phone advice, requests for certificates, reports or prescriptions without appointment are done for you by your doctor in their own time without payment so do not be surprised if the doctor asks you to make an appointment for any of these items. French Généralistes do not all do Gynaecological exams (eg cervical smears) and you may need to find a GP who does or visit a gynaecologist.
What you need to know French doctors may request you to remove all your clothes for a medical exam (particularly gynaecology checks), which is considered normal, even when a nurse is not present. Some medications may be given by suppository (although much less nowadays) and you can always request an alternative medication. French doctors still prescribe more medications than doctors from the UK. The Sécu system is working with doctors here to look carefully at their prescribing and the practice is improving. You can always decline medications and you do not need to collect all the items listed on your prescription if you prefer not to.
Some non-prescription medicines available over the counter Headache/fever Ibuprofene Diarrhoea Indigestion Sore throat Cold, runny nose Constipation Antihistamines
Paracetamol (generic version and cheapest) also known as Doliprane, Efferalgan. (generic version and cheapest) also know as Nurofen, Advil Smecta (rehydration sachets +) Maalox, Pepsidac Strepsil, Collustan Fervex, Rhinofebral, saline physiologique Lactulose Aerius, Cetirizine
Other useful vocabulary Health La santé Medication Le médicament Drugs(narcotics) Les drogues Medical evaluation Le bilan de santé Pregnant Enceinte (pregnancy = la grossesse) Midwife La sage-femme Condom Le préservatif Sexually transmitted Disease MST(Maladie sexuellement transmissible) AIDS SIDA HIV VIH General practitioner Le généraliste Nurse L’infirmière Physiotherapy Kinéstherapie (Kiné) Podiatry Podologue Inner soles Semelles Fasting A jeun
What you need to know
Blood tests, radiology, podiatrists and Physio These are services that you will access after an appointment with your doctor who will give you a prescription. The doctor will advise you of a suitable physiotherapist or podiatrist if you do not know one already. There are some good English-speaking professionals locally. If you need blood tests in France you have to go to the local Laboratory d’Analyses. There is usually one in each town. They usually open from 7:30 in the morning as many blood tests are done fasting or “A jeun” remember to check this with your doctor first. Xrays, ultrasound scans and bone density scans are done in the local radiology office: 56A, rue Henri Cloppet, 78110 Le Vésinet Tel: 01.39.76.02.55 Centre Chirurgical de Chatou 32, avenue de Brimont, 78400 Chatou Tel: 01.30.15.62.62 For CT scans, MRI scans, mammography it is best to ask your doctor directly.
Senior School 38, quai de l’Écluse, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine +33 (0)1 34 80 45 90 www.britishschool.fr Updated September 2019
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