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Emergencies (Urgences) Where to go in cases of
emergency In
cases of an emergency, don’t worry about insurance issues and head directly to
the nearest hospital emergency room). (urgences) Under French law, any health organisation, public or
private, is required to treat patients in an emergency situation regardless of
their insurance status. Nonetheless, the responsibility of deciding what
constitutes an emergency rests with the medical staff. French
emergency phone numbers (free from any phone): General emergency number is 112 (this is a Europe wide number, not a local
one with an English response referring you to the appropriate local service)
SAMU (ambulance): dial 15 – first response is the
receptionist, then a doctor, then if necessary an ambulance Pompiers (Fire-Brigade) :
dial 18 Police : dial 17 *The
Pompiers, or to give them their full name Pompiers-Saupers – also
act as an emergency first-aid service.
They should be contacted first in the event of any emergency, such as,
for example, you not being able to get to a hospital yourself. If you need to call any of
the emergency services you will need to give them your address, postcode and
phone number and also directions to your house, especially if you are in a
rural location. Firstly draw a sketch
map showing the road from the nearest main road or town/village or landmark,
translate the directions into French and keep them by the phone along with the
emergency numbers. Directions: Allez tout droit/continuez = go straight on ; traversez la place = cross
the square ; tournez à droite/à
gauche = turn right/left ; montez la rue = go up the streeet ; prenez la première rue à la droite/à la gauche = take
the 1st turning on the right/on the left ; tournez devant/en face de = in front of/opposite; la maison est sur la droite/gauche = the house is on the
right/left Possible landmarks le château castle/stately
home la
poste post office l’eglise
church
le
bar (give its name) la boulangerie
bakery
l’étang pond Useful French Phrases
Ambulance I need an ambulance: J’ai besoin
d’une amulance OR il me faut
une ambulance I’ve had a heart attack: J’ai eu
une crise cardiaque My husband/my wife has had a heart attack: Mon mari/ma femme a eu un crise cardiaque My husband/my wife is no
longer breathing: Mon mari/ma femme
ne respire pas My son/my daughter is no
longer breathing (has stopped breathing) : Mon
fils/ma fille ne respire plus Police
There’s been a break-in at
my house: Il y a une cambriolage chez
moi I need help: J’ai besoin de l’assistance Fire Department
My house/chimney is on fire: Ma
maison/ma cheminée est en feu My land is on fire : Mon
terrain est en feu There’s a fire at my house: Il y
a le feu chez moi There’s a fire at my
neighbour’s house: Il y a le feu chez
mon voisin Doctor out of Hours – with some doctors your call will be transferred to
the
on-call doctor but if there is no reply or transfer then the Gendarmes will give you a number – call them on 17There is direct access to NHS Direct on the internet – www.nhswdirect.nhs.uk Pharmacies
For minor ailments, many
people go to local pharmacies (Pharmacie
– easily recognisable by the green flashing cross displayed outside) Pharmacies are usually open
from Monday to Saturday, between 9:00 and 20:00 (times vary
and they will probably close for lunch and maybe one day in the week). Being closed on Sundays and public holidays,
there will always be at least one in each area that provides out-of-hours
service (service de garde). Look for a notice in the window of any pharmacie
to find out which one is scheduled. The duty pharmacist may not actually be at
the pharmacie so you will need to phone the number given before going there. If you need this
information and you are at home you can also obtain this information from the
Gendarmes by calling 17 or SAMU on 15. There are usually notices
in pharmacies and the local papers giving details of which pharmacies are on
call at night and over the weekend. There is a new permanent
mechanism for care in the Vienne: URGENT need of a doctor:
After 8 o’clock at night?
From Saturday at 1 o’clock to Monday at 8 o’clock?
On Holidays? Dial 05 49 38 50 50 - if it’s a matter of vital
urgency dial 15 (SAMU) Useful vocabulary: J’apelle de
I’m
calling from Mon numero de telephone est my
telephone number is C’est un urgence
it’s
an emergency Il/elle est blessé à la tête etc he/she
is injured on the head etc (learn parts of
body) il/elle perd
beaucoup de sang he/she is losing a lot
of blood il/elle a
perdu connaissance he/she passed out ..... minutes a
go depuis …….
minutes il/elle vomit
he/she
is vomiting il/elle est diabétique he/she
is diabetic il/elle a des crises d’épilepsie he/she has epilectic fits il/elle est allergique à he/she is allergic to il/elle prend des médicaments pour he/she is on medication for
il y a eu un accident
there
has been an accident il y a eu un explosion chez there has been an
explosion at my neighbours’ mes voisins, je pense qu’il y a house, I think there’s a gas leak une
fute de gaz
vite, il y a un feu
quickly
there’s a fire For
Directions : Allez tout droite
go
straight aheaed Continuez
go
straight ahead Tournez à droite/à gauche turn
right/left Prenez la première rue à droite take
the first turning on the right Montez la rue
go
up the street Descendez l’avenue
go
down the avenue Traversez la place
cross
the square Vous turnez or turnez
you
turn Positions : Devant in
front of en face de
opposite à côté de
beside/next door to la maison
est sur la droite the
house is on the right la maison
est sur la gauche the
house is on the left la maison
est en face de l’étang the house is
opposite the pond GlossaryFrench expressions and
abbreviations in health care AME (Aide Médicale de l’Etat) = State Health Aid for foreigners
living in France without regular legal residency
AMELI (Assurance
Maladie En Ligne) = the website of
French healthcare system – www.ameli.fr Carte Vitale = this is a credit-card sized card that certifies your
entitlement to health insurance in France.
It is replacing the paper-based refund system. This card may sometimes mean you only pay the proportion due and
do not need to ask for reimbursement afterwards. CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) =
primary health
insurance bodies, for most insured people this is the main interface with the
social security system. Check online at
www.ameli.fr
for your local CPAM as this depends on your place of residence.
Croix Rouge = The Red Cross.
Unlike some countries, the French Croix Rouge is a humanitarian
organisation and does not provide medical services in France. CMU (Couverture
Maladie Universelle) = Universal health
Insurance Coverage for French residents. Mutuelle (assurance
complémentaire) = Additional health
insurance to cover costs not refunded by the French social security
scheme. Common in France as some 85% of
people have it – some employers pay part or all of this cost. RIB (Relevé
d’Identité Bancaire) = a small label or
fiche with your bank account details.
It is required to supply this if money is to be transferred to your
account. It is printed on all your bank
statements and you usually have some detachable copies in the back of your
cheque book. You can also usually print
one at an ATM machine or ask for one in your bank. SAMU = French Emergency Services La Secu = common verbal abbreviation for Social Security
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