Overview
France's
state-subsidized medical system is considered liberal because doctors
and dentists establish private practices, and patients, who are free
to choose their own providers, are reimbursed by the state for up to
85% of medical costs. Hospital facilities, although greatly expanded
since World War II, are still considered inadequate. Doctors tend to
be concentrated in the cities and are in short supply in some rural
areas. The death rate, life expectancy, and infant mortality rate are
similar to those of other industrialized nations. As is true of most
developed countries, the principal causes of death are cancer and
cardiovascular diseases.
Daniel Noin; Reviewed by Anne Depigny and Agnes Jolivet.
Source: 1997 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, ver. 9.0.1.
Bibliography
Medical Care and Health Insurance for Travelers
Finding a Doctor or Pharmacy
In the event you
become ill, your best bet is to contact the American Hospital (see
address below), just outside of Paris, for referrals to an
English-speaking doctor. Midnight visits to local public hospitals
can be frightening and confusing, since the interns on duty often
speak little English.
If you need
medicine, remember that a drugstore (chemist) is called a
pharmacie. French pharmacies almost invariably sport a
distinctive bright green cross in the shape of the Red Cross logo. At
night times and on Sundays, the Commissariat de Police of the
district where you reside will inform you of the nearest pharmacy
open and the address of the nearest doctor on duty. The pharmacie
de garde (late-night drugstore) is also noted in newspapers and
on the doors of pharmacies in town.
Should you need to
be taken to a hospital, the doctor will call an ambulance for you, or
you can apply to the:
Ambulances "Assistance Publique"
28, rue de l'Entrepot, 94220 Charenton
Tel: 01.43.78.26.26 - Fax.: 01.45.13.65.82
To make arrangements
for medicine to be flown from home, contact the Ministère des
Affaires Sociales--Service Central de la Pharmacie--which is open
daily (except Saturdays and Sundays) from 8:30 am to 12 noon and 2:00
pm to 5:30 pm. Keep in mind that it is forbidden to import narcotics
into France unless you obtain a special authorization in advance from
the French narcotics office at this ministry. Prescription drugs
should be accompanied by a statement from a doctor and left in their
original labeled containers. In France, police may legally stop and
search anyone on the street--no reason is required--and an arrest for
illegal drug possession can end your vacation abruptly!
A worldwide
directory of English-speaking physicians whose qualifications meet
IAMAT standards, and who have agreed to treat members for a set fee,
is available from the International Association for Medical
Assistance to Travellers. Membership in the Association is free.
Several organizations specialize in providing medical assistance to
travelers, such as pre-trip medical referrals, emergency evacuation
or repatriation, 24-hr. hotlines for medical consultation, dispatch
of medical personnel, relay of medical records, cash for emergencies,
and other personal or legal help (see Assistance Companies below).
Health Insurance
Before purchasing
any supplemental insurance for your trip, you should review your
existing health insurance policy, or consult with your employee
benefits administrator or insurance agent, to determine if you are
covered for expenses incurred while traveling. Most tour operators,
travel agents, and insurance agents sell specialized
health-and-accident, flight, trip cancellation, and luggage insurance
as well as comprehensive plans covering some or all of these
contingencies.
Specific policy
provisions of supplemental health-and-accident insurance for
travelers include reimbursement for $1,000 to $150,000 worth of
medical and/or dental expenses caused by an accident or illness
during the trip. The personal-accident or death-and-dismemberment
provision pays a lump sum to your beneficiaries if you die, or to you
if you lose one or more limbs or your eyesight; lump sums range from
$15,000 to $500,000. The medical-assistance provision may reimburse
you for the cost of referrals, evacuation, or repatriation and other
services, or it may automatically enroll you as a member of a
particular medical-assistance company (see Assistance Companies
below).
For medical emergencies in France, dial 15.
HOSPITALS -
American Hospital
63, boulevard Victor-Hugo, 92202 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel.: 01.46.41.25.25 ; Fax.: 01.46.24.49.38 ; Telex: 613.344
British Hospital Hortford
3, rue Barbes, 92300 Levallois -
Tel.: 01.47.58.13.12 ; Fax.: 01.47.58.02.34
ASSISTANCE COMPANIES -
International SOS Assistance
Box 11568, Philadelphia, PA 19116, USA (tel. 215-244-1500 or
800-523-8930)
Box 466, Pl. Bonaventure, Montréal, Québec H5A 1C1,
Canada (tel. 514-874-7674 or 800-363-0263)
Medex Assistance Corporation
Box 10623, Baltimore, MD 21285, USA (tel. 410-296-2530 or
800-874-9125)
Near Services
450 Prairie Ave., Suite 101, Calumet City, IL 60409, USA (tel.
708-868-6700 or 800-654-6700)
Travel Assistance International
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005, USA (tel.
202-331-1609 or 800-821-2828)
DIRECTORIES -
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers
(IAMAT)
417 Center St., Lewiston, NY 14092, USA (tel. 716-754-4883)
40 Regal Rd., Guelph, Ontario N1K 1B5, Canada
57 Voirets, 1212 Grand-Lancy, Geneva, Switzerland
FRENCH MINISTRY -
Ministère des Affaires Sociales
Service Central de la Pharmacie
14, avenue Duquesne, 75007 Paris
Tel.: 01.40.56.53.80 (or) 01.40.56.60.00 ; Fax.: 01.40.56.53.55
Author: Ian C. Mills ©1998-99 All
Rights Reserved
Bibliography: Fodor's 95 France,
Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc., published in the U.S. by Random
House, Inc., New York; Let's Go - The Budget Guide to France 1996,
SoRelle Brogan Brown, editor, published by St. Martin's Press, New
York.
Image sources: Amazon.com Books - Cover shot of "Medicine &
Culture".
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In
association with
Amazon.com Books
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A
classic comparative study of medicine and national
culture. The U.S., England, Germany, and France
have equivalent life expectancy rates, yet medical
treatment differs enormously from country to
country. A new foreword by the author examines the
trend toward evidence-based medicine and addresses
the substantial changes in medical culture since
1988, including the proliferation of alternative
medicine and the changing face of medicine in the
European Community since the fall of
Communism.
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France: Culture, History, Language,
Travel
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Health Links
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
As the name suggests, this site offers a comprehensive listing of hospitals and medical treatment centers, as well as
medical providers according to specialty, for the arrondissements of Paris and its immediate suburbs.
Directory of French Hospitals, Medical Clinics
One can find hospitals and/or medical clinics in the majority of France's
95 departments, as well as in two overseas French territories. This
comprehensive list is maintained by the Hôpitaux de Rouen. (site in French)
French Health and Medicine Resources
David Gatwood of the
University of Tennessee at Martin maintains this collection of links
to Francophone health news and information, holistic medicine,
dentistry, pharmacology, medical schools, etc.
Institut Pasteur
The Institut Pasteur is a private foundation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of diseases through
biological research, education, and public health activities. (site in French & English)
Musée Curie
Opened to the public in 1992 and expanded in 1995, the Musée Curie is located at 11, rue Pierre et Marie Curie,
75248 PARIS Cedex 05. The museum features exhibits of early instruments used in research of radioactivity, archives, and
historical photographs. (site in French)
Yahoo! France: Annuaire des Hôpitaux
An excellent list of sites throughout France, including hospitals, clinics & medical centers, university research
facilities, medical associations and organizations. (site in French)
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