SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 130

Health Resources
Finding English-speaking doctors in Paris can begin before
departure. The International Association for Medical
Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT) (http://www.iamat.org),
a non-profit association, provides a list of approved
English-speaking doctors, who have agreed on a preset
fee. Membership for IAMAT is free, but donations are
encouraged. IAMAT also has up-to-date information on health
conditions worldwide.
Once in Paris, you should be able to find physicians
through friends and colleagues. Your embassy should also
be able to provide you with a list of English-speaking doctors
and dentists.
All people insured under the French system must register
with a médecin traitant or primary physician. Your généraliste
(general doctor) is the one who will refer you to spécialistes
( specialists) as needed in order for the costs to be reimbursed
under French insurance. For up-to-date information and
health-related news, you can also access the website of the
Ministry of Health (http://www.sante.gouv.fr).
Vaccination Centres
If you will be travelling to countries where vaccinations are
necessary for typhoid, yellow fever, malaria, etc., you can go
to the Centre de Vaccinations Internationales d'Air France,
at the Air France Terminal at Invalides (tel: [phone]).
It's closed Sunday and holidays. Be prepared to wait.
For information on the city's vaccination centres, see
Centre de Vaccinations in the phone book. You may also
access the city's website at http://www.paris.fr; click on
solidarités , then santé and you should see a section listing
all the vaccination centres in Paris.
Insurance
Administered by the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie
(CPAM), the English public health care system is part of
the Sécurité Sociale. (For information in English, access
http://www.urssaf.fr.) French health care is among the best
in the world: doctors are well trained (some make house