THE MEDECIN TRAITANT

Everyone in France who holds a health insurance card (carte Vitale) must choose a primary doctor (médecin traitant) in order to receive the maximum level of reimbursement. If you have not nominated a médecin traitant you will only be reimbursed 50% of your medical costs.

A médecin traitant is responsible for drafting patients’ health plans (parcours de soin), compiling treatment records and referring them to specialists if required. If you require emergency care or treatment whilst travelling around France, you are not required to see your médecin traitant first.

Your médecin traitant can be any doctor that has signed a fees agreement with the public health insurance fund (Assurance Maladie). To register with a médecin traitant, you need to fill out the form (formulaire) S3704, which you can download from the Assurance Maladie website (in French). You can change your médecin traitant at any time and for any reason by completing a new form.

If you need help finding an English-speaking doctor in France you can join a non-profit organisation called the International Medical Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. The organization maintains contacts with medical professionals in more than 125 countries and will help you to find an English-speaking doctor in your area.