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HEALTH

The French vocab you need to get the Covid vaccine

Dépêchez-vous (hurry up!) might be the first phrase that comes to mind when contemplating the French Covid vaccine programme, but appointments are going ahead, so here's a quick guide to some of the medical vocabulary you might need.

Published: 17 March 2021 17:13 CET
The French vocab you need to get the Covid vaccine
A man gets the Covid vaccine injected by a health worker. Photo by Theo Rouby / AFP

Finding an English-speaking doctor or nurse in France can be difficult, especially in rural parts of the country, and in vaccine centres you are unlikely to be given the choice of an English-speaking medic.

Those who aren’t fluent in French may find it challenging to understand everything they tell you, and some of the key questions that you will be asked.

Here’s a look at some of the phrases that could come in handy for booking the appointment and getting the vaccine. 

J’aimerais prendre un rendez-vous – I would like to make an appointment

Le vaccin Covid – the Covid vaccine

Quel vaccin allez-vous me donner ? – Which vaccine will you give me?

Aurais-je une réaction allergique ? – Could I have an allergic reaction?

Quels sont les effets secondaires ? – What are the side effects?

Quand aurai-je ma deuxième dose ?– When will I have my second dose?

UPDATED: When will you be eligible for the Covid vaccine in France?

Comment allez-vous me contacter? – How are you going to get in touch with me?

Puis-je choisir sur quel bras me faire vacciner ? – Can I choose which arm to get the vaccine in? You maybe also be asked if you are gaucher (left-handed) or droitier (right-handed).

Ça me fait mal ici – It hurts here

Je me sens étourdi – I feel dizzy

When you arrive at your appointment, you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire. Here are the main questions they will ask you:

Avez-vous eu la Covid-19 au cours des trois derniers mois ? – Have you had Covid-19 in the past three months?

Souffrez-vous d’allergies graves ? – Do you have serious allergies?

Avez-vous été vacciné contre la grippe ces deux dernières semaines ? – Have you been vaccinated against the flu in the past two weeks?

Avez-vous de la fièvre ou d’autres symptômes ? – Do you have fever or other symptoms?

Avez-vous été en contact avec un cluster très récemment ? – Have you been in contact with a cluster very recently?

Êtes-vous enceinte ? – Are you pregnant?

READ ALSO: The French phrases we learned during the Covid health crisis

Aïe, ça fait mal ! – Ouch, that hurt! Hopefully you won’t need this one, we’re told that it’s just a little prick and most people barely feel it. 

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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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