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HEALTH

France sets up online advice site for people worried they have coronavirus

France has launched a new website with advice for people worried they may have coronavirus.

Published: 23 March 2020 15:52 CET
France sets up online advice site for people worried they have coronavirus
The online test can offer advice on who needs to consult a doctor. Photo: AFP

The site, approved by the French health ministry, offers a way for people to get more information about whether they need medical attention or may be suffering from coronavirus.

France is currently not doing blanket testing of the population, and only people who fit a fairly narrow set of criteria are tested.

READ ALSO Coronavirus testing in France – how does it work and who gets tested?

Screengrab maladiecoronavirus.fr

France’s health minister Olivier Véran has admitted that the lack of widespread testing means that the number of confirmed cases in France – currently more than 16,000 – is a serious underestimate of the number of people who actually have it.

The test was developed as a medical guide, and to offer advice to people who are worried. Although the site cautions users that it does not offer a firm diagnosis and is not intended as a replacement for a medical consultation.

“The test is not a diagnosis, but rather a health assessment so that people know where to turn,” Dr. Fabrice Denis, a member of the newly established Digital Alliance Against COVID-19, which developed the test, told AFP.  

The site (which is in French) asks a number of questions about symptoms, whether people have a cough, a fever, fatigue, a loss of the sense of smell and other possible indicators of coronavirus.

It then asks for general health information such as age, height and weight and then assesses the risk of the patient by asking about underlying conditions such as diabetes, serious respiratory illness or any illnesses that suppress the immune system.

Based on your answers it then offers medical advice such as whether you should contact your doctor or an ambulance or whether you are not at risk.

The test can be accessed online here.

In general the medical advice is that if you believe you have coronavirus and have serious symptoms including difficulty breathing you should call the ambulance number – 15.

If you believe you have the illness but have less serious symptoms contact your usual doctor by phone, or set up an online appointment. Do not go to hospital or your doctor’s surgery, and try to avoid leaving your home if at all possible.

You can also get advice about non-medical matters from the coronavirus helpline – 0800 130 000.

Find the latest on the situation in France here.

 

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HEALTH

The different ways you can make a doctor’s appointment in France

Booking a medical appointment in France can be time-consuming – especially if you are new to the country and are looking for an English-speaking doctor.

Published: 13 May 2024 16:52 CEST
The different ways you can make a doctor's appointment in France

You do not need a carte vitale to book a doctor’s appointment in France – anyone who needs medical help while in the country is entitled to it, but you may not be entitled to any reimbursement if you are not part of the social security system.

Booking a GP’s appointment can be as simple as phoning up your friendly neighbourhood GP, or using an online service such as Doctolib. 

It helps a lot, if you have a médecin traitant – an attending GP, who adds you (and your family, if they can) to their list of patients. 

READ ALSO Explained: How to register with a doctor in France

It is not always easy to find one. Some parts of the country are short of GPs, which means doctors’ lists can fill up very quickly. But it is important that anyone who lives in France is registered with a named GP, especially if they have a carte vitale.

As well as being the main point of contact between patients and the medical profession in all its guises, it is financially responsible to be registered with a GP in France.

Reimbursement on consultations is typically 70 percent through the French healthcare system, but just 30 percent for anyone without a declared doctor. Meanwhile, top-up mutuelle health insurance companies usually require you to declare a médecin traitant and if you don’t, you may not be able to receive reimbursements on certain treatments.

Bear in mind, it is your responsibility to register with a local médecin traitant. But, even after you have done so, you can still make an appointment with any doctor, anywhere in France, and arrange specialist treatment, if you need it. 

READ ALSO 5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

How do you go about making a GP appointment in France?

There are several options.

Some health centres – more often in larger towns and cities – operate a walk-in policy. But expect waits to be lengthy. Do not, however, assume that your GP operates a system like this.

You can phone for an appointment. This is another very common method. Your GP will have their own system for making appointments – which may even include something that looks, to the uninitiated, very much like a casual walk-in policy. 

Some may have an assistant to deal with booking appointments and other administration. Others may deal with appointments themselves, and may – for example – operate some sort of triage system based on voice messages from patients. 

What about online booking systems?

And many practitioners are now attached to websites, such as Doctolib. As of 2023, about half of all GP appointments in France were made using Doctolib.

READ ALSO How to use: French medical website Doctolib

Be aware that other online booking systems are available. Doctolib is one of the best known, but your GP may be attached to another system, 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.

In terms of wait times, online systems have helped to significantly reduce the delay between booking and getting an appointment.

According to a 2023 study by Doctolib, about half of all GP appointments were available within three days from the time of booking on their platform.

Similarly, you can use online platforms to check the medical professional’s qualifications and languages spoken, as well as 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. 

An increasing number of doctorsoffer video consultations, known as télémédecine in France. This allows professionals – particularly those in more rural areas – to diagnose less serious conditions remotely. This type of consultation is usually only available from those medical practices that are attached to online booking systems. 

Some pharmacies have also begun offering walk-in télémedicine consults, using ‘Medadom’ machines. More information here.

What about specialists?

In France, you book your own consultations with specialists, even if you are referred by a doctor (your GP may offer a recommendation, but won’t always). The good news is that many specialists do use online booking services. Those that do not usually have assistants to take care of the appointments.

READ ALSO: Urgent care: How to get non-emergency medical treatment in France

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