In Case of a Medical Emergency…
By Richard Nahem.
Pictures of Hotel Dieu by Pascal Fonquernie with courtesy of Claire Patrelle From Hotel Dieu Hospital, the first hospital created in Paris in 686.

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One of the few things most travelers don't think about when they go on holiday is what to do if they suddenly get sick or need healthcare. The good news is that France has one of the best and accessible healthcare systems in the world, and you can be assured that you will easily find the care you need in case of a health emergency or if you just need general medical care.

Doctor visits are relatively cheap compared to the U.S.A standard doctor's fee is 20-60 euros; almost what a co-pay is in the states. Certain doctors are on call 24 hours a day to make house visits. Rates range from 50 to 100 euros.

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If you are an EEC member your national healthcare company will pay back almost all expenses to the French social security system, so basically you pay nothing if you are a resident of the European union.

As of now, I have what is called a long-term visitor visa, which means I don't pay in to the French social security system yet and must obtain private health insurance. Although I have a good insurance policy, I purposely choose a high deductible because I knew the doctor visits here would be so reasonable.

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My healthcare experiences have been very positive and I have felt well taken care of since I've been living here. I found an excellent and reliable GP doctor, Dr. Thierry Buffel, on the rue de Rivoli. His rate is 30 Euros a visit and last year I went for a full check-up, including an expensive cardio /heart rate test and the cost was only 100 euros. I went for blood work in addition to the check-up and that
cost 42 euros, so altogether the check-up with the blood work cost less than 150 euros.

I recently had to have some emergency dental care and I was very impressed by the professionalism of the dentist Stephane Brun and the state of the art equipment in the office. There were certain technical things I had not seen before including a computer screen above the
dentist chair that immediately showed X-rays that were just taken. I needed to have two root canals and two crowns put in and Dr. Brun worked tirelessly on end for hours making sure everything was perfect. I've never been to a dentist who was so thorough. It was like having an artist work on my mouth. The cost was about 40% less than it would be in New York.

So if you are visiting France and have any concerns about finding good health care, no need to worry: France's comprehensive health care system will provide you with what you need.

Instructions for health emergencies :

Call the front desk of your hotel and they will call a doctor
Dial 15 if you need an ambulance or it's an emergency
Dial 18 if it's not a dire emergency ( fire station)

Below is a list of doctors located in the Marais, treatment centers, 24 hour a day on call doctors, hospitals and other useful medical addresses/phone numbers.

Urgences Medicales Paris UMP
15 r Jean Baptiste Berlier 75013 Paris - 01 53 94 94 94

SOS doctors : Visit at home 24hours/day
87 bd Port Royal 75013 Paris - 01 47 07 77 77

Hôpital Saint-Louis
1 avenue Claude Vellefaux 75010 Paris - 01 42 49 49 49

Hôpital Hôtel Dieu
1 place Parvis Notre Dame 75004 Paris - 01 42 34 82 34
All Paris Hospitals on www.aphp.fr

Centre anti-poison - 01 40 05 48 48

Doctors:

Dr. Thierry Buffel 28 rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris Tel. 01 42 78 95 00
Dr. Bilde Anne - 36 r Debelleyme 75003 PARIS - 01 42 72 30 03
Dr. Bloede François - 59 r Archives 75003 PARIS - 01 40 27 86 86
Dr. Copin Xavier - 133 r Vieille du Temple 75003 PARIS - 01 42 78 37 00
Dr. Diemert Christian - 111 bd Beaumarchais 75003 PARIS - 01 42 77 26 46
Dr. Gelperowic Joel - 10 r Bretagne 75003 PARIS - 01 48 04 38 78
Dr. Glazman Maurice - 114 r Turenne 75003 PARIS - 01 42 72 72 55
Dr. Lantier Marie - 36 r Debelleyme 75003 PARIS - 01 42 72 30 03

Dentists:

Myriam Achour
10 rue du conservatoire 75010 Paris - Metro Bonne Nouvelle - Tel 01 47 70 08 84

Stephane Brun, Chirurgien Dentiste
28 rue Pierre Lescot - Paris, 75001 - Tel. 01 42 36 63 20

24 hour/7 day Pharmacies:

84 Ave. des Champs Elysees(8th)
tel. 01 45 79 53 19/01 45 62 02 41

6 Place de Clichy(9th)
tel. 01 48 74 65 18

Richard Nahem is an ex-New Yorker living in Paris since August 2005. His blog, www.eyepreferparis.com is an smart, funny insiders guide to Paris. He writes from his from his fabulous 18th century apartment in Marais district of Paris.