My Experience with the French Health Care System

I got quite ill over the Christmas holiday, and am still recovering. My wife and I elected to spend a few days in Paris just before the New Year, most of which was spent in my hotel bed. As I continued to worsen, and as I felt an ear ache on the day before I was supposed to fly out, I called a doctor. This was New Years’ Eve. After a couple of hours, the doctor came straight to my hotel room, and examined me. It turned out I had a flu-induced fever combined with an infection of the ears, tonsils, and sinuses. I had to delay my departure. The doctor was both efficient and friendly. She left me with a detailed prescription for seven different items. My wife filled it first thing in the morning, immediately, no waiting. Later in the day, the doctor called my hotel room to check up on me. I was most impressed. In the United States, the only option would have been the emergency room, a forlorn and depressing place, with long waits and impersonal treatment. I always knew the French health care system was superior; now I experienced it in person. There is a better way, a way centered on the person.