HELP/ need a doctor in Turin

Hi, ksmomma, I'm so sorry to hear about your difficulties. I'm not going to be able to help much, as it's been decades since I was in Italy, but I do have a few questions that might help others respond.

1. Have you checked with your hotel to see if they have a landline you can use? Or asked them if they have some advice as to where you can go?

2. Is there some reason you don't want to visit the hospital? I would imagine your travel insurance would cover both.

Regardless, I hope you are able to get some medical assistance. Good luck.

Can't help for Turin but if you are in real need go to a large hospital ER. Be ready to wait 4 hours or more as emergency cases are given priority, but you usually get a competent visit (they have to fill a written report) and if you are in need of some diagnostics they will likely be performed on site, after obviously another wait. This is why the ER is so crowed: you may get in, say, 12 hours, an examination that under ordinary procedure could by delayed several weeks.

I see you need an ENT. If I correctly understand it is an ear/nose/throat problem. You could try to book a visit to a private ENT specialist; if you pay for it there is usually little wait, just the time for an empty slot in the calendar. For example, I can see empty slots even in the next hours for eur 100/130 on:

https://shorturl.at/4ex8V

(an ENT specialist in Italian is an "otorino" or "otorinolaringoiatra")

I also suggest you go to the ER. Ask your hotel which one they recommend.
If you just won’t do that, you could take take a two hour train to Geneva and go to this international urgent care type place: https://swissinternationalhealth.ch/en/2629-2/

Likewise Milan has options and is a quicker train ride: https://www.milanmedicalcenter.it/en/specialties/

I saw an ad for doctorsinitaly.com. I went to the website and it looks legit. Initially you would FaceTime with a doctor then go from there. They even give you a list of issues they treat asap.
Just a thought, it doesn’t seem too expensive, starting at €20.

I don't have experience with Italy but had to seek urgent opthamology care in Portugal and there are some commonalities of medical care in countries with government health care. One is that private healthcare generally seems very CHEAP to someone from the US. The other is that they tend to be more conservative with testing unlike US urgent/ER care, so that also helps keep costs down.

My hotel made an outpatient opthamologist (MD) appointment for the same day at a private hospital in Porto. I saw an MD opthamologist who removed something stuck in my eye, provided antibiotic eye drops (the bottle not a prescription). It was under 60 Euro. Didn't even bother with an insurance claim. My basic optometrist appointment for new eyeglasses is more than that.

I would isten to lachera's advice and online book the private clinic to get this problem checked out quickly, don't go sit in a public hospital ER.

I'm sorry you are experiencing health issues and hope you can resolve them quickly. I agree with the suggestion that you ask your hotel. My husband has used one when traveling.

The US Embassy maintains a list of medical professionals used to helping tourists and Americans, look here: https://it.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/ACS-Doctors-Milan-Feb2025.pdf

The list is for the district of Milan, where the consulate is, but down a couple pages are doctors for Turin.

Thanks to all, especially Iachera - if I can get the website to work (keeps saying try later when try to finalize appt), then plan on getting an appointment that way. If not, and going over in person to book isn't acceptable, then I guess it's the ER - but am VERY grateful to you for finding this as had not found that option, just virtual sites.

We're staying in rented apartments, not a hotel, and the hosts in each place we've been have told only option is the hospital, which many do not recommend. Our host here in Turin however says the one here is ok, but that regular doctors can't see tourists as you have assigned doctors here under the healthcare system.

To those who recommended virtual appointments, I already stated that this was done already and not effective, I need a physical exam at this point - virtual won't cut it, and they just throw you on antibiotics without asking your symptoms or considering the consequences. The pharmacist in the last town agreed I need to see someone, but recommended we wait until we get here as the guarda medica isn't very good there. When even the pharmacy is telling you to avoid it, time to find other options lol.

Also, I don't elect the travel insurance to cover $&*! - if you read my initial post you'll understand why. Extremely disappointed in Generali.

Does this show some faults in the exalted European medical care perceived as free and easy to uninformed American?
All else fails go to the ER. Sure you may wait hours. Same here in US if you are not an emergency. And this seems to not be so.

If the website I adviced does not work (and it is strange, as I use it), try this one:

https://www.doctolib.it/otorinolaringoiatra/torino

https://www.doctorsinitaly.com/find/?t=appointment

I found this website using an internet search.

We had a doctor make a house call for us while in Copenhagen; the pharmacist gave us the contact information. We first chatted over the phone but the dr said he needed to see my husband in person. He came to our Airbnb, determined the issue and provided the necessary antibiotic. We paid by credit card (I recall it was somewhere around $350). I filed with our travel insurance company when we returned home.

Good luck!

Does this show some faults in the exalted European medical care perceived as free and easy to uninformed American?

I am afraid this is more a language problem. For example, Austria has an excellent health service and almost all doctors and nurses speak English. But if you need assistance almost all the documentation, including websites, will be in German. If you understand a little German you can find a doctor on duty even on festive days (my wife once got to see a local doctor on August 15th that is a big holiday); if you don't, your options are much more limited.

I don't know if this is helpful, but I found this doctor, and a couple more, by Googling in Italian: Doctors in Torino who speak English.

This is one name that came up....might you try calling the office and asking if he can recommend an ENT if he is not one??

https://dottorgagliardi.it

Do you have private insurance when you're at home in the States? I ask not for you to submit the claim but rather for a list of providers. For instance I know the Blues (BCBS, BS, or BX, respectively) have a pretty comprehensive list via GeoBlue. I'd imagine other major carriers have an alternative. Even if you are not going to USE the plan, maybe the route to take is to use the doctors in your plan.

If you are not going to go to the ER, many have very, very strict provisions on coverage - even the travel insurance does.

Have you thought about trying a pharmacy? They actually can prescribe in Europe (they can in the US, too, but don't due to potential litigation).

Absent of the above and others suggestions, you may have to suck it up and go to an ER. If it is as bad as you're describing, may as well. Who cares what is "good" at this point - we're not shopping longterm.

I didn't see this suggested yet, but it may be some help - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/health/medical-care-in-europe .

There used to be an organization called IAMAT that provided a list of English-speaking doctors and clinics in each country that would treat tourists for a nominal fee. They still exist but unfortunately they no longer provide that service. I used one of their clinics in Rome on a trip a few years ago, and it worked out quite well.

Good luck!