Emergency help in Paris

Jackie, To begin with, you might make a note of the address and other information for the nearest U.S. Consulates in the areas you'll be visiting. You could also consider joining This Organization which provides a list of English-speaking Doctors in many parts of the world who will provide basic treatment for a set fee. If you're extremely concerned about a catastrophic illness or whatever, you could also have a look at a short-term membership in This Organization. Be sure that you and your daughter both have duplicate copies of health insurance and other important information. Happy travels!

IF it's not an 'emergency' emergency, there is the American Hospital of Paris (american-hospital.org). It's not in the middle of 'tourist Paris', but staff there does speak English, if that's a major concern of yours and your daughter's. And I second the previous recommendation. DO look into trip cancellation/interruption insurance...For BOTH of you.

You probably ought to get temporary health insurance that will cover you while you're traveling overseas, including emergency evacuation insurance, which means that they'll bring you home if needed, on a stretcher. I get this for myself when I travel (and I'm no spring chicken myself). I get mine through American Express. The price is very reasonable and you can get it on a month-by month basis. You have to be careful, though, to get it about three weeks before your trip, to cover preexisting conditions. It's not too early to check into it now. There are several insurance companies who offer this kind of coverage.

Jackie That's going to be quite a trip from Hawaii. All the best, I'm sure you will have a great time. You are also clearly down to earth. Lots we could learn here. I know that you are not heading to the UK, but some of our readers may be. Throughout England, Wales and Scotland there is only one emergency number for everything. Dial 999 from a landline or a mobile phone. A landline will be located by computer in the call centre, like in the US with 911. If dialing 999 from a mobile (can be done with no credit) you will need to know where you are. There are central call centres. When they answer the phone the first question will be, "Which service please?". You can then request police, ambulance, fire, coast guard, mountain rescue, etc., and they then patch you through. You can ask for more than one service at a time. Please don't waste their time. Recently a woman called 999 and said that she couldn't get the top off her next beer bottle.

I think it's great that you want to be prepared. Definitely check that your insurance company would cover you in France (and that they'll cover the American Hospital - many policies exclude it due to the higher cost). In addition to what the others have said, I think it's important that you know and understand how emergency services work in the PAris area. If you have a medical emergency and are calling from a landline, the best thing to do is dial 18. THis will reach the Pompiers and they are much faster to respond than SAMU (ambulance service). However, the system is not like the 911 system in the US and you will need to provide your name, address and telephone number. You will also need to tell them - in French - what the problem is. Look up some possible scenarios (ie heart attack, trouble breathing, unconsciousness) and write them out phonetically. If you have an emergency and are calling from a cell phone, it is best to call 112. But it's the same stuff as above, and you have to know where you are. note You don't call 18 from a cell phone because there's no guarantee that your call will be routed to the closest Pompiers and you could lose time getting transferred around. Likewise, you do use 18 from a landline because it will go to the closest one. French law mandates an individual provide assistance in an emergency. People are less likely to walk by - or film the incident for YouTube - like they might in the US. They should at least call for help. There are AEDs all over the city (there's even a French iPhone app to help you locate the nearest one) and response time by the Pompiers is reported to be very quick. Things might be different outside of Paris and I suggest you check with the hotel whether it is best to call Pompiers (18) or SAMU (15) for an emergency. The locals will know which is best.

Jackie, Just to clarify, while in Italy (Lago di Como) the appropriate phone numbers in most cases are: > Fire Dept. - Vigili del Fuoco in Italy - Dial 115 (similar to Sapeurs-Pompier in France, I believe) > Medical Emergencies - Dial 118 (a variety of different types of service available depending on location, ranging from volunteer to ALS) > Police - there are a variety of Police forces, which "overlap" somewhat - Dial 112 (Carabinieri) or 113 (Polizia di Stato) One point to note is that if using local emergency services, you may face "language issues", both when calling and during treatment. I've had a few "limited" conversations with Carabinieri on a few occasions, and found that some could speak a bit of English, while others could speak NO English.

I assume you know that Medicare will NOT cover any medical expenses overseas. You really need to buy travel insurance that covers medical and return home expenses. My secondary Insurance becomes primary when overseas, and the purchased insurance becomes secondary. I call them (primary -BCBS) every year to see what they cover and do not cover, and how to get the bills paid. Plans do change so I do check. Usually, but not always, they tell me to pay the bill and have all bills that relate to the medical issue sent to them-usually after you get back. You might want to ask them to send you the relevant pieces of you policy that cover overseas travel. Also, be sure to have a cc with a large limit just for that, if you want to be really safe. One bit of good news is medical costs in France will be a lot less than the same costs in US. Another suggestion. Take a prescription for each med. you take with you. If you run out, loose (get stolen) your meds, you can replace them in Paris at any Drug Store. Happened to me. My pain meds ran out and I refilled them in Nice cheaper with over the counter purchase, no insurance involved, than I could at home. My deductible is 50.00 and the meds cost me 32.00. US drug companies rip us off really bad, but I will stay away from that can of whoop #$% for now. The above information is great also. I would print it and take it with you in you medical bag. The numbers are invaluable and do as she says about phonetically spelling information out ahead of time. We also are planning on going to Paris in late June, early July. Leave some for us to enjoy!!

Hey Nigel, just because YOU don't drink...;-) You have YOUR emergencies, I have MINE.

In case it is not a dire emergency, but you want to see a doctor, here are some numbers you can call. I have not used them myself, but I understand they have English speaking operators and doctors. The doctors will actually come to your hotel (gasp!) and the charges are reasonable, I am told. SOS Médecins France: After hours medical advice and help from qualified doctors Tel: 36 24 Website
SOS Médecins (Doctor on call): Paris Tel: 01 47 07 77 77

Geez Nigel, we use our emergency line (911) for more important matters in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZDIsCMLbPE&sns=em

Thanks 2 all 4 info on emergency while travel. What a huge help !!

Just wanted to add that I REALLY appreciate the idea to determine possible emergency, learn the phonetic pronunciation, and carry that in addition to Embassy info.
Thank you all. Jackie

I can't encourage enough to keep the Embassy/Consulate information handy. All tourists should keep that information of their home country's Embassy in the country they are visiting. One quick phone call to the US Embassy could save you a lot of time and hassle.

I agree, Kathy, that one should have that information available but, if my experience with American embassies/consulates overseas is typical, do not expect very much, much less prompt, help from them.