Healthcare in France: I Love our Pharmacies
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Beth, our resident expert and storyteller from the picturesque Tarn-et-Garonne, invites us to explore the essential role of pharmacies in everyday French life. With France’s abundance of well-qualified and knowledgeable pharmacists, a trip to the local chemist is often the first step when feeling unwell. Beth shares her experience navigating this uniquely French approach to healthcare and reveals how a simple trip to the chemist can highlight the warmth and quirks of living in France.
“In the spirit of Saint Valentine, this feels like an ode to a loved one. In a way, it is. But why do I love our pharmacies? Aside from being greeted by a team of friendly faces each time I visit, there are several reasons.
Trained French Pharmacists
Every pharmacy is run by a professional pharmacist, trained at the same level as a general practitioner. They have the authority to create several different medicinal compounds and offer advice on various medical issues. They can also prescribe antibiotics for non-serious conditions, such as a bacterial sore throat or cystitis.
Ordonnances and Carte Vitale
- Pharmacies are the places to go with ordonnances (prescriptions). Usually, the medicines are dispensed on the production of a carte vitale, which is credit card-sized and has an embedded microchip that certifies entitlement to Assurance maladie (French health insurance). It contains administrative information regarding the patient’s health insurance fund to reimburse their healthcare expenses. The pharmacy will update the information for you in a card reader.
- You will also be asked if you have a mutuelle, a top-up health insurance. If you do, you’ll probably be asked for documentary proof. For regular clients, the information is generally held on your file at the pharmacy, which is handy if a patient forgets to bring their documents.
- In exceptional circumstances, if a repeat ordonnance expires before the patient sees their specialist, the pharmacist can supply the prescribed medicines to tide the patient over.
- Patients who don’t have a carte vitale need to pay for prescribed medicines. They are given a Feuille de Soins (Care Sheet), which details the doctor and medication prescribed. The form is completed and sent to the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM), the organisation which manages the healthcare expenses of anyone registered with the social security system in France. Reimbursements should be issued once the claim has been processed, these can be accessed and monitored online with Ameli.
Healthcare Advice and Services
French pharmacies provide a range of services; there expertise and proximity are vital particularly, in small villages in the countryside, for example:
Vaccinations in France
Trained pharmacists can administer a range of vaccines, including those against diphtheria, tetanus, flu, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, shingles, yellow fever and COVID-19. Exceptions apply to administering live vaccines, such as MMR and BCG, to immunocompromised patients.
Medical Equipment at Home
Patients who are prescribed special medical equipment for the home can have it organised for delivery via their local pharmacy. It’s an invaluable service. They can help with the arrangements and complete the paperwork issued by the hospital/doctor/provider.
Mobility Aids and Orthotics
Pharmacies usually carry a comprehensive range of aids, from Zimmer frames to brace supports, wheelchairs and walking sticks. They operate a specialist fitting service and will order any items patients need that aren’t already in stock.
Health Tests and Products Offered
Pharmacies are great places to get tested for conditions relating to asthma, diabetes and blood pressure.
French pharmacies have you covered from mosquito repellents to skin care, baby care, vitamins, cosmetics, and herbal compounds, not to mention a range of tick, flea and worming treatments for cats and dogs.
Dangerous Mushrooms
The French, certainly in our area, are passionate fungi lovers, which, as we all know, is a potentially lethal pastime. During the picking season, clients regularly appear in our pharmacy with a bag of mushrooms, seeking identification help. Pharmacy specialists offer advice, including whether their harvest is toxic or safe to eat.
General Health Advice
Unsurprisingly, with such a comprehensive service, the pharmacy is normally the first port of call when a general medical issue occurs. Hushed chats take place between a pharmacist or assistant and the customer. Advice is given; in my experience, it usually focuses first on natural alternatives. Customers stand in line at a discrete distance. We all understand it takes time to chat through these matters.
These are the places where pill boxes are filled for those who struggle to manage, and time is taken to explain dosages. I can honestly say that I have never felt rushed in any of the pharmacies I have visited, and I can’t speak highly enough of these competent, caring teams. All in all, I’m a fan!”
Medical Care and Health Insurance
State public healthcare in France (Assurance maladie) is not free; costs are shared between the government and patient contributions. The government partially funds Medical treatments and tests, with the patient covering the remainder. French state health insurance covers 70 to 100% of treatment costs, such as doctor visits and hospital stays. The part refunded by the French social security will soon drop from 70% to 60%. Patients will soon have to pay 40% plus any private fees that can be charged for any treatments, especially specialists and surgeons.
It is recommended that families and expats in France subscribe to top-up health insurance to avoid significant costs in case of illness or accidents. Top-up insurance will also fund some or all of your dental and optical care, depending on the coverage chosen, learn how to choose top-up healthcare insurance cover.
Merci as always Beth! For more real-life stories about living in southwest France, discover Beth’s latest books, recently selected by Amazon for a spring special offer. Are you tempted to explore this area of southwest France? Discover our selection of properties for sale in Occitanie.
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