How to get medical help over the holidays in France
If you're in France on a public holiday - or in August when many services close down - here is what to do if you need to access medical care.
Health issues are stressful in any country, but they can be even more anxiety-inducing if you are on holiday and do not speak the language or are not familiar with the country's health system.
Many services close on public holidays (of which France has 11 per year) and in August you may find that doctors also take a break and close their cabinets for a couple of weeks.
If you experience a medical issue during a holiday period, start by determining whether it is an emergency or not.
Emergencies
For a major medical event you should either visit a hospital urgences (Emergency Room) or call an ambulance.
You can report anything by calling 112, the European general emergency phone number, and they will direct you to the relevant services. While this is not guaranteed, if you do not speak French you might be more likely to find an English-speaker by calling 112 than other services.
If you are hearing impaired there is an SMS service on 114.
Call 15 to alert the SAMU (service d'aide médicale urgente) to critical health and medical situations which require urgent medical attention such as severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, hemorrhage, coma, extreme burns or intoxication.
Call 18 if someone's life is in danger. This number connects to the fire services (Sapeurs Pompiers) who provide rapid medical intervention and rescue.
You can consult our a list of what to say once you get on the phone with someone, if you do not feel confident in your French.
READ MORE: Emergency in France: Who to call and what to say
Non-emergencies
If your problem is not quite an emergency but still something that you need help with, there are several options available to everyone in France - including French residents, tourists and second-home owners.
Here are a few options:
SOS Médecins
This service covers 'non-life-threatening urgent consultations' and will connect you with a general practitioner, available 24/7 - even on public holidays, like Christmas or New Year.
You can use it if you're a visitor to France, you're on holiday in a different part of France, you're not yet registered with a doctor or simply if your own doctor is not available (either because it's out of normal hours or your doctor is on holiday).
SOS Médecins is most known for their house-calls, as they will come directly to your home to give you a consultation. However you can also visit their local office or request a téléconsultation (online appointment). In either case, the person you see is a doctor and they will be able to diagnose you and prescribe medication, as needed.
The SOS Médecins website gives three options: make an appointment by calling (the number is 3624), make an appointment online, or walk-in for a consultation (hours will vary for this depending on the location). You may need to first create an account when booking online.
When making your appointment, you can request an English speaking doctor, but it is not guaranteed you will get one.
When calling to make the appointment, you will need to know your département number, your phone number, the patient's first and last name, the exact address (including the building code, floor, and any other relevant apartment-specific information), the reason for the call, and the age of the patient.
Cost - SOS Médecins varies in price depending on the time of day and location (whether the consultation is at the centre or at your home). For a house-call on holidays, weekends, and nights you can expect the fee to range between €56.50 to €86, which may be in part reimbursable by Assurance Maladie if you are registered in the French medical system.
Maisons Médicales de Gardes
These are community health centres that are intended to stay open after working hours and on the weekends. They are intended to ease the burden on emergency room by offering a place for people with non-life threatening emergencies to go outside of normal operating hours.
You can look online to see the closest Maison Médicale to you (you can also search 'Maison Médicale de Garde + your town/city/département) or you can call your regular doctor and listen to their voice machine - usually they will list your after-hours options. For more information, you can visit this website.
Before walking up to the centre, you can call to allow the operator to assess your situation and give you a recommendation regarding whether you need emergency treatment or whether you can be treated at the Maison Médicale.
Cost - you can expect to pay between €26.50 to €59.50.
Pharmacy
Over public holidays, pharmacies operate a rota system to ensure that at least one is open in each area - you can find the nearest by doing a Google search for 'pharmacie de garde' plus the name of your town. You can also use the locator tool on this website.
Pharmacists in France are highly qualified (it takes between five and seven years to complete the training) and by law all pharmacies must have at least one qualified pharmacist on the premises.
Although they cannot prescribe medication, you can go to a pharmacy with a minor medical problem, to ask advice or for treatment for less serious injuries, or to get over-the-counter medication such as cough syrup or painkillers. You can visit on a walk-in basis and there is no need for an appointment.
READ MORE: More than prescriptions: 11 things you can do at a French pharmacy
If the pharmacist cannot treat you, they will tell you whether you need further assistance from a doctor or whether your medical issue is urgent enough to warrant an ambulance or trip to the hospital.
If you suspect you have Covid-19, you can get a test at a pharmacy. For strep throat or tonsilitis (une angine), you can ask for a rapid test (TROD or Test Rapide d'Orientation Diagnostique) at any pharmacy.
If it is a positive result for bacterial strep, then you'll be referred back to a primary care doctor in order to get a prescription for antibiotics. This test is covered by Assurance Maladie if you are registered in the French system.
The SOS Médecins website may also have a locator tool, depending on the region you are in. For example, this is available on the Paris version.
Cost - Seeking the assistance of a pharmacist is free, but if they recommend medication or treatment, you will likely have to pay, although some treatment types are reimbursed if you are registered in the French health system.
Make a doctor appointment
Oftentimes, foreigners or tourists do not think they can make an appointment with a general practitioner in France if they do not have a carte vitale or are not registered in the French healthcare system.
In fact, anyone can make an appointment to see a French doctor, there is no need to be registered with them. One of the easiest ways to do this is by going to the website Doctolib and signing up for an appointment.
On Doctolib, you can see the medical professional's qualifications and languages spoken, so you can filter based on the doctor's English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English.
On the Doctolib website, you can set a preference for Aujourd'hui (today) or Dans les prochains trois jours (In the next three days). You can also set your motif de consultation (type of consultation) to an online appointment, if you are not looking to make the trip to the doctor's office (not all doctors offer these, and some only offer it for follow-ups).
READ MORE: How to use: French medical website Doctolib
Similarly, there are other websites that help you make doctors appointments in France, like the health ministry approved site 'LeMedecin.Fr'.
This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking 'Consultez en vidéo maintenant' you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.
If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the 'Ameli' website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.
Cost - Everyone who visits a doctor (even online) in France is expected to pay, at least the standard rate of €26.50. If you are registered in the French medical system part of the cost will be reimbursed through your carte vitale.
If you are a tourist or second-home owner you may be able to claim the cost back on your health or travel insurance, depending on the policy.
If you are still in the process of registering for your carte vitale be sure to ask for a feuille de soins - this is basically a receipt, and when you get the card you can claim back medical costs incurred while you waited using the feuille de soins.
When booking the appointment, check to see whether the physician is 'Secteur 1' or 'Secteur 2' - this will determine if they are allowed to charge additional fees. A sectuer 1 doctor must apply the basic rate set out by the medication convention. For a GP, the fixed price is €26.50.
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Health issues are stressful in any country, but they can be even more anxiety-inducing if you are on holiday and do not speak the language or are not familiar with the country's health system.
Many services close on public holidays (of which France has 11 per year) and in August you may find that doctors also take a break and close their cabinets for a couple of weeks.
If you experience a medical issue during a holiday period, start by determining whether it is an emergency or not.
Emergencies
For a major medical event you should either visit a hospital urgences (Emergency Room) or call an ambulance.
You can report anything by calling 112, the European general emergency phone number, and they will direct you to the relevant services. While this is not guaranteed, if you do not speak French you might be more likely to find an English-speaker by calling 112 than other services.
If you are hearing impaired there is an SMS service on 114.
Call 15 to alert the SAMU (service d'aide médicale urgente) to critical health and medical situations which require urgent medical attention such as severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, hemorrhage, coma, extreme burns or intoxication.
Call 18 if someone's life is in danger. This number connects to the fire services (Sapeurs Pompiers) who provide rapid medical intervention and rescue.
You can consult our a list of what to say once you get on the phone with someone, if you do not feel confident in your French.
READ MORE: Emergency in France: Who to call and what to say
Non-emergencies
If your problem is not quite an emergency but still something that you need help with, there are several options available to everyone in France - including French residents, tourists and second-home owners.
Here are a few options:
SOS Médecins
This service covers 'non-life-threatening urgent consultations' and will connect you with a general practitioner, available 24/7 - even on public holidays, like Christmas or New Year.
You can use it if you're a visitor to France, you're on holiday in a different part of France, you're not yet registered with a doctor or simply if your own doctor is not available (either because it's out of normal hours or your doctor is on holiday).
SOS Médecins is most known for their house-calls, as they will come directly to your home to give you a consultation. However you can also visit their local office or request a téléconsultation (online appointment). In either case, the person you see is a doctor and they will be able to diagnose you and prescribe medication, as needed.
The SOS Médecins website gives three options: make an appointment by calling (the number is 3624), make an appointment online, or walk-in for a consultation (hours will vary for this depending on the location). You may need to first create an account when booking online.
When making your appointment, you can request an English speaking doctor, but it is not guaranteed you will get one.
When calling to make the appointment, you will need to know your département number, your phone number, the patient's first and last name, the exact address (including the building code, floor, and any other relevant apartment-specific information), the reason for the call, and the age of the patient.
Cost - SOS Médecins varies in price depending on the time of day and location (whether the consultation is at the centre or at your home). For a house-call on holidays, weekends, and nights you can expect the fee to range between €56.50 to €86, which may be in part reimbursable by Assurance Maladie if you are registered in the French medical system.
Maisons Médicales de Gardes
These are community health centres that are intended to stay open after working hours and on the weekends. They are intended to ease the burden on emergency room by offering a place for people with non-life threatening emergencies to go outside of normal operating hours.
You can look online to see the closest Maison Médicale to you (you can also search 'Maison Médicale de Garde + your town/city/département) or you can call your regular doctor and listen to their voice machine - usually they will list your after-hours options. For more information, you can visit this website.
Before walking up to the centre, you can call to allow the operator to assess your situation and give you a recommendation regarding whether you need emergency treatment or whether you can be treated at the Maison Médicale.
Cost - you can expect to pay between €26.50 to €59.50.
Pharmacy
Over public holidays, pharmacies operate a rota system to ensure that at least one is open in each area - you can find the nearest by doing a Google search for 'pharmacie de garde' plus the name of your town. You can also use the locator tool on this website.
Pharmacists in France are highly qualified (it takes between five and seven years to complete the training) and by law all pharmacies must have at least one qualified pharmacist on the premises.
Although they cannot prescribe medication, you can go to a pharmacy with a minor medical problem, to ask advice or for treatment for less serious injuries, or to get over-the-counter medication such as cough syrup or painkillers. You can visit on a walk-in basis and there is no need for an appointment.
READ MORE: More than prescriptions: 11 things you can do at a French pharmacy
If the pharmacist cannot treat you, they will tell you whether you need further assistance from a doctor or whether your medical issue is urgent enough to warrant an ambulance or trip to the hospital.
If you suspect you have Covid-19, you can get a test at a pharmacy. For strep throat or tonsilitis (une angine), you can ask for a rapid test (TROD or Test Rapide d'Orientation Diagnostique) at any pharmacy.
If it is a positive result for bacterial strep, then you'll be referred back to a primary care doctor in order to get a prescription for antibiotics. This test is covered by Assurance Maladie if you are registered in the French system.
The SOS Médecins website may also have a locator tool, depending on the region you are in. For example, this is available on the Paris version.
Cost - Seeking the assistance of a pharmacist is free, but if they recommend medication or treatment, you will likely have to pay, although some treatment types are reimbursed if you are registered in the French health system.
Make a doctor appointment
Oftentimes, foreigners or tourists do not think they can make an appointment with a general practitioner in France if they do not have a carte vitale or are not registered in the French healthcare system.
In fact, anyone can make an appointment to see a French doctor, there is no need to be registered with them. One of the easiest ways to do this is by going to the website Doctolib and signing up for an appointment.
On Doctolib, you can see the medical professional's qualifications and languages spoken, so you can filter based on the doctor's English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English.
On the Doctolib website, you can set a preference for Aujourd'hui (today) or Dans les prochains trois jours (In the next three days). You can also set your motif de consultation (type of consultation) to an online appointment, if you are not looking to make the trip to the doctor's office (not all doctors offer these, and some only offer it for follow-ups).
READ MORE: How to use: French medical website Doctolib
Similarly, there are other websites that help you make doctors appointments in France, like the health ministry approved site 'LeMedecin.Fr'.
This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking 'Consultez en vidéo maintenant' you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.
If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the 'Ameli' website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.
Cost - Everyone who visits a doctor (even online) in France is expected to pay, at least the standard rate of €26.50. If you are registered in the French medical system part of the cost will be reimbursed through your carte vitale.
If you are a tourist or second-home owner you may be able to claim the cost back on your health or travel insurance, depending on the policy.
If you are still in the process of registering for your carte vitale be sure to ask for a feuille de soins - this is basically a receipt, and when you get the card you can claim back medical costs incurred while you waited using the feuille de soins.
When booking the appointment, check to see whether the physician is 'Secteur 1' or 'Secteur 2' - this will determine if they are allowed to charge additional fees. A sectuer 1 doctor must apply the basic rate set out by the medication convention. For a GP, the fixed price is €26.50.
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