Emergency and Health and Medical Services

Emergency Phone Numbers

If you require immediate emergency assistance, first contact the local authorities. Once you are no longer in immediate danger, notify EUSA program staff for assistance.

EUSA Office
Tel: 01 40 47 92 71

After Hours Emergencies: +336 45 18 50 23

In the event that your local EUSA emergency number is unreachable (massive communication infrastructure problems or in the unlikely event that the duty staff member cannot respond due to a local crisis), you can contact the EUSA emergency phone in Madrid.

EUSA Madrid EMERGENCY CONTACT BETWEEN 9AM – 3.30PM


Tel: 00 34 91 399 4444

EUSA Madrid EMERGENCY CONTACT BETWEEN 3.30PM – 9AM:

Tel: 00 34 638 312 097

The Madrid number is only to be used in the event of a widespread emergency in Paris. The staff in Madrid are not able to provide assistance in the event of lockouts, individual health issues, etc.

U.S. Embassy
Tel: 01 43 12 22 22

112: This number is direct to ALL emergency phone numbers: police, fire department and the S.A.M.U. If you are calling from a cellphone you should ALWAYS call this number first.

Police (Police Secours)
Tel: 17

Fire Department (Pompiers)
Tel: 18
The pompiers may send one of their own ambulances or they may alert the S.A.M.U. (Services d’aide medicale urgente), or SOS Medecins. They arrive on the scene faster and can provide basic life support. If a patient’s condition is unclear or appears critical, a car with specially trained firemen is usually sent ahead to administer first aid.

S.A.M.U (Emergency Medical Team/Ambulance)
Tel: 15 or 01 45 67 50 50

S.A.M.U. has a 24-hour service and gives medical assistance for all medical emergencies. Its ambulances are manned by teams of trained personnel, and are equipped with emergency equipment for any cardiac or respiratory resuscitation. To reach the S.A.M.U, simply dial 15

Be brief and concise when speaking with the S.A.M.U. and give the precise address or location (if at home or in another building, please indicate the floor and the door code if any), your phone number, the caller and victim’s names, the age of the victim and a description of his medical condition.

You may be transferred directly to an English-speaking specialist in the emergency services who will identify the type of emergency based upon the information you give (he/she may decide to refer your call to another ambulance service, i.e. SOS Médecins, in the case of a less critical emergency).

Ambulance: (Sainte-Marie)
Tel: 01 48 42 22 00

SOS Médecins
Dial 01 47 07 77 77 or another more direct number 3624

SOS Médecins is a private company for less critical medical emergencies and house calls. If you do not need emergency treatment, call a doctor. Finding an English-speaking doctor, dentist, physiologist or pharmacist is not difficult.

Anti-Poison Center
Tel: 01 40 05 48 48

Hospitals

American Hospital of Paris
63, blvd. Victor Hugo, 92202 Neuilly           
Tel: 01 46 41 25 25

Burn Center at Hôpital Percy (emergency services for very serious burns)
101, avenue Henri Barbusse, 92140 Clamart
Tel: 01 46 60 00 00

Hôpital Cochin (General Emergencies)
27, rue du Fbg. St.Jacques, 75014 Paris
Tel: 01 58 41 27 22

Counselling

If you are suffering any sort of depression or mental distress please contact the EUSA Paris Director or Manager immediately.

SOS Help (English-speaking hotline open daily from 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m)
Tel: 01 46 21 46 46

You can also contact EUSA to make an appointment with our staff counsellor.

French Healthcare

The French healthcare system, funded by its working population, is noted for being one of the best in the world, as it offers a wide range of general practitioners and healthcare specialists.  It is, however, very expensive to maintain (the current deficit is around 6 billion euros) and is constantly under funding pressure.

French employees pay about 20 % of their gross salary, which is deducted at source to fund the French social security system (Sécurité sociale).  A significant proportion of this money goes towards public healthcare, to which every legal resident of France has access to under the law of universal coverage (la Couverture maladie universelle).

When a person subscribes to Sécurité sociale, part of the cost of their medical treatment is covered by the state. However, regardless of their coverage, anyone in France can consult a doctor or specialist if they choose. Similarly, everyone has the right to emergency hospital treatment, although for those who subscribe to Sécurité sociale, the cost is partly reimbursed.

As far as care goes, there is no great difference in the quality of care between private and public hospitals in France and no great difference in price (“private” being understood as clinics that have a contract with the government, while “real” private clinics are very expensive).   Whether private or public, treatment is not free at the point of delivery.  Even if you are a Sécurité sociale subscriber, when you see a doctor or specialist, you must first pay the full bill and are then reimbursed at a later date (about 10 days). Generally speaking, Sécurité sociale refunds 70 % of the cost of a visit to a general practitioner/family doctor and most specialists (as long as you have seen your general practitioner for a referral to the specialist).

Finding and visiting a doctor

You will need to pay cash (20-50 euros) during your visit. The doctor will give you a receipt you send to your insurance company for reimbursement. The doctor might give you a prescription which you take to any pharmacy. Here, you may pay with a credit card. Keep the receipt to send to your insurance company.

Finding an English-speaking doctor, dentist, physiologist or pharmacist is not difficult. A list of English-speaking medical practitioners and their contact information is available on the US Embassy’s website:  http://france.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/paris-doctors.pdf. If you are staying with a family, you can also ask for the name of the their doctor. Below a short list of generalists:

Dr. Julia Bache
5 rue Léon Cogniet, 75017
M° Courcelles
01 47 63 42 07

Dr. Nancy Salzman
36 rue du Colisée, 75008
M° St Phillippe du Roule
01 45 63 18 43

Dr. Francis Slattery
10 avenue Eylau, 75116
M° Trocadéro
01 47 42 02 34

Dr. Stephen Wilson
54 rue des Archives
75004 M° Rambuteau
01 48 87 21 10

Pharmacies

At pharmacies you can find over-the-counter and prescription drugs.  If you have a slight fever, sore throat, cough, or stomach ache, you may want to visit a pharmacy (pharmacists are very knowledgeable and can often recommend over-the-counter treatments, if you describe your symptoms).  This can save you a trip to the doctor!  Note: if you need toiletries you should visit a supermarket not a pharmacy – prices are MUCH lower.

Pharmacies open 24/7

Pharmacie Les Champs Dhéry
84 Ave. des Champs Eysées, Paris 75008 
Tel: 01 45 62 02 41

Grande Pharmacie Daumesnil 
6, place Félix Eboué, Paris 75012
Tel: 01 43 43 19 03    

Pharmacie européenne
6, place de clichy, Paris 75009
Tel :01 48 74 65 18

Other Resources

AIDS Hotline (SIDA info-service)
Tel: 0800 84 08 00

Essential Medical Vocabulary:

Symptoms: symptômes

Band-Aid: un pansement

Fever: la fièvre

Sore throat: un mal de gorge

Stomach ache: un mal de ventre

Cramp: des crampes

Condom: un préservatif

Cough: une toux

Vomiting: vomissement

Headache: un mal de tête

Faint: un évanouissement

Pap smear: un frottis

Flu-like symptoms: état grippal

For a complete list of emergency phone numbers:
http://france.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/paris-emergency.pdf

 

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