Social Security provides foreign students with social coverage while studying in France. To increase the amount of their healthcare expenses that is reimbursed, they may take out complementary health insurance, or mutuelle.
How to see a doctor
Within the university there is a health department: the Service Universitaire de Médecine Préventive et de Promotion de la Santé (SUMPPS - the University Department of Preventive Medicine and the Promotion of Health). You can make an appointment with a doctor there. Some visits are free, including for contraception, testing, vaccinations, nutrition and psychological monitoring.
There you can also get contact information for a doctor and make an appointment online on the doctolib.fr website
If you have questions about sexuality, sexual relations, love or contraception, contact the Planning Familial (Family Planning), an association that offers free and confidential check-ups. Women in particular may obtain a prescription for contraception which suits them and obtain the day-after pill in case of need. Family Planning has branches everywhere in France.
Here are a few important numbers
112: the European emergency number;
15: the SAMU (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente - Emergency Medical Service);
18: the Fire Brigade;
And 3624: for a house-call doctor if you are too ill to travel. This service is available 24/7