Emergencies
If you need to consult a doctor in an emergency and your regular surgery is closed, you have several options for seeking medical care. You can call different emergency hotline numbers, according to the particular circumstances of your accident or emergency:
SOS médecins (on-call doctors) – 36 24
SAMU (ambulance) – 15
Police-secours (rescue service) – 17
Sapeurs-pompiers (fire service) – 18
Centre antipoison (poison advice service) – 0 825 812 822
These helplines are all connected with one another. If you call the fire brigade for a medical problem, your call will be transferred to the emergency medical service. To avoid wasting time, you should always try and call the correct number: however, your call will always be taken, no matter which number you dial.
Remember that the main helplines for ambulance, rescue and fire: 15, 17 and 18 respectively, are only for emergencies. Do not call these numbers if you feel unwell and need advice: call only in an emergency. For medical advice out of regular surgery hours contact SOS médecins.
SOS médecins
If you need medical advice outside regular surgery hours, you can call 'SOS médecins' on 36 24. This service puts you in touch with on-call doctors who are available to visit patients through the night; these doctors can offer advice via telephone or visit you at your home if necessary.
SOS médecins is the main emergency care network in France. It comprises several associated organisations which operate throughout the country. The SOS médecins network is an emergency network: if you have to consult a doctor but do not think that your symptoms merit urgent attention, you should wait until your surgery reopens or visit a Maison Médicale de Garde, or MMG.
Out-of-hours medical house, or MMG: Maison Médicale de Garde
If you cannot see your regular doctor, you can contact an on-call doctor via SOS médecins, or go to an out-of-hours medical house: an MMG, or Maison Médicale de Garde. This is a medical centre where doctors and other healthcare professionals work together to ensure healthcare is available even when surgeries are closed. Usually, doctors will not work full-time for an MMG, but take turns to do shifts there a few times a month.
The following costs apply if a patient requires a doctor to make a house call. Each figure is subject to a 70% refund from the health service:
from 8pm – midnight, and from 6am - 8am = €68
from midnight – 6am = €77
from midnight Saturday, all day Sunday and on holidays = €52
The following costs apply if a patient is able to visit the MMG. Each figure is subject to a 70% refund from the health service:
from 8pm – midnight, and from 6am – 8am = €64.50
from midnight – 6am = €73.50
from midnight Saturday, all day Sunday and on holidays = €48.50
Out-of-hours pharmacies
If a patient requires medication in an emergency, outside regular pharmacy opening hours, they may be able to visit the emergency pharmacy. This is not one pharmacy which always offers an emergency service, but an agreement between local pharmacies whereby according to an agreed rota, one will stay open in the evenings and at the weekend. Generally, there will be at least one out-of-hours pharmacy in each large town or city, but there may be no emergency pharmacy in smaller towns and villages. You can find the address and telephone number of your local pharmacy in the yellow pages or on the internet: many pharmacies have an answering machine message which tells you which number to call if you need to locate the nearest emergency pharmacy.
