Comments on: stirrups

By: Small Town Diva

Small Town Diva — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 21:25:17 +0000

Well, the health care we had in South Africa was far superior to my general experience in the US (my primary care doctor excepted). The doctors were well trained, took plenty of time, and treated me as a whole person, not just a body part. They were open minded about alternative therapies and very accessible.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 15:47:05 +0000

It’s all about choosing the right doctor, really. The sécurité social always reimburse the same amount (70 % of the tarif conventionné : 20€ for a GP, 27€ for a specialist), whatever your doctor charges.

So, you’ve got to fish around, ask people who they recommend. My gynecologist takes 27€, is never more than 30 minutes late and is great !

By: tea4two

tea4two — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 14:35:16 +0000

Well, interesting debates sparked off on this one… I agree that the cost of gyns and doctors is expensive here. Coming from a place where your gp is free to visit, I find it very expensive to have to pay…. but must add that I find the French system to be very good and the doctors I have dealt with (both through appointments and in emergency situations at 2 hospitals) to be very good and very efficient.

The price of my gyn however, is over 120euros…. per few minute visit, and not including pathology…. but as your health is the one thing you cannot skimp on, I think they are worth every cent! (and before anyone comments, no, I am not going to any particular arrondissement – it is outside the peripherique – and I do not have loads of money – I am unemployed and being supported by my husband on a very bad expat package)

I would not have put up with the rudeness that some of you have mentioned though. Cold hands and instruments aside, we are the ones paying for the service and it is our bodies they are dealing with. Pick someone you can relate to and who you feel comfortable dealing with…. doesn’t matter what they cost.

By: nardac

nardac — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:33:24 +0000

Anonymous Fille – I there are a fair number of comments on this blog that would testify otherwise. It often goes beyond mere griping. Take Anne’s comment for example… Not that I really care… I just often wonder why people travel so far to be xenophobic when they could very well just be xenophobic at home.

I think PA could very well just be a french person griping about her bad gyne experience, instead of an “expat” griping about her bad french gyne experience. But of course, given the nature of her readership, everybody assumes it’s a chance to jump on bad french gyne/doctor experiences.(except for a certain giveaway gripe about the french teenage boy’s experienced hands… incidentally, tsk tsk, for that.) PA, if you are griping particularly about French gyne’s as crappy, take a page from my book. Try another doctor. Just like everything and everywhere else in the world, doctors aren’t created equal.

Samantha – I know you’re right (though it wasn’t clear from your comment that GP do paps… my own GP recommended I visit a specialist for my pap). But, ewwwww, thoroughly prefer to go to a specialist when someone is scraping my womb!

By: Ronica

Ronica — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:07:45 +0000

I remember being charged $65 for a box of Kleenix (and not “special” kleenix–just regular old tissues you could get at any grocery for 2 bucks) from a hospital in the States when my mom was dying. Before she lapsed into her final coma, she sent me to Walmart to buy hand lotion because she was afraid it would cost $80 for Vaseline Intensive Care! (Although at this time of year, I would pay just about anything to not be itchy…)

A little perspective on the “outrageous” cost of European health care. ;)

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 08:58:29 +0000

My last french healthcare experience involved being sat in my bra and pants making jokes about cheap perfume with the Doctor.
Mental note: stay away from Healthcare in foreign countries….

By: Anonymous Fille

Anonymous Fille — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 07:53:57 +0000

Nardac – I don’t think it’s necessarily that people are complaining about their host country, I think many of us are talking about specific incidents which we would also criticise in our home countries. I, for one, though the experience I mention above was distressing to say the least, am the first to tell everybody back home in England how good the French medical care is. I’m not a huge fan of the Sécu sytem (it took them 7 years to give me a number and those years cost me alot of money), but I think French hospitals and doctors give a very high standard of care. They may sometimes be a little ruder than you would hope for, but I think they are, in the main, extremely thorough and quick to accurately diagnose and treat a problem. I think it’s quite normal to have the odd gripe about a country you’ve moved to and very easy to have a romanticised version of your homeland, just because you’re not there.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 06:02:31 +0000

Nardac, I realize that – if you’ll re-read my post, you’ll notice that I said that in France, most French women go to their regular doctor for their yearly pap test. They only go to the gyno if the pap comes back abnormal or if they have other problems, otherwise regular doctors are considered perfectly capable to handle the standard exams. Which is why I asked why so many were paying the extra money for a gyno appt, especially considering how expensive they are.

By: nardac

nardac — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:27:17 +0000

Fixed up girl – I think you’ll find most expats have a tendency to complain about their host country. At least that’s what I can deduce from most of the comments. I, for one, am quite content with my medical experience in France. Canada also has a free healthcare system, and the doctors I’ve had there have been nothing but impeccable. Anyways… just more armchair viewpoints.

Samantha – you should visit your gyne at least once a year from your twenties onwards. Pap smears and all those other gross things they do can help in the early detection of cancer.

By: anonymuis

anonymuis — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:07:30 +0000

I like reading the post, I wanted to give comment and I knew what to comment but after reading all the comments above I forgot what I wanted to write here :D

Ops, sorry. Hmm sixty five euros for five minutes, how much do you have to pay if you stay there for about 20 minutes and she has misplaced your notes. wow. I’m also in Europe but I’m always imagining how France is. I don’t even know whether it happens in the Netherlands, too but i find sixty five euros too expensive for this

(I don’t know if you’ve already received the comment’s awaiting moderation or not that I probably commented twice here, my internet connection has trouble, my apology if my comment’s twice)