@JJones
See German 
Personally, I donāt expect others to speak English - well, unless Iām visiting an Anglophone country but youāre tarring everyone with the same brush here VĆ©ro which is unfair and slightly racist.
Some Brits certainly do, I admit (and I find it abhorrent) but I donāt think it is behaviour unique to Brits, or even English speakers for that matter.
Iād say it was a hold over from the days of Empire but Iām not sure thatās the whole explanation; itās certainly arrogant and unpleasant.
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It isnāt a legal contract - donāt French doctors have a legal duty to gain informed consent?
Sorry, forgot to put āmanyā before English-speakers! I suppose I find it frustrating because time and time again, this same question of learning the language of the country you live in or spend a lot of time in comes up, and practically the only people who expect to get away with not bothering are anglophone. They donāt have an excuse. It is extraordinary.
And that is where the informed consent comes in - we do tend to think in France that the onus is on the adult, responsible, patient to speak the language of the Republic.
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Most of the time I would agree with you wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, and most of the time the level of French which Iām sure the majority of SFers have achieved will be adequate to discuss things with the medical profession.
BUT - I donāt think you can extrapolate that to all the time.
Illness catches you unawares, it does not wait until you have ālearned a bit more Frenchā, it does not preferentially affect those who can afford to engage a translator or interpreter for each and every visit to the mĆ©decin, nor does if preferentially affect the family member who is āgood at Frenchā.
Serious illness makes you frightened and sometimes incapable of fully grasping the nuances of the information given to you - even in your mother tongue, it also makes it harder for you to describe your symptoms or needs. Friends and family might be willing to help - but might not know all the medical terms.
Also, as I said doctors (at least in the UK) actually have a legal duty to communicate effectively with their patients as part of the process of consent to treatment.
We last discussed this in the context of B***** when people (Leavers, that is) were whinging about the couple of hundred million the NHS spends on interpreters - chump change, it turns out, if you are a Tory who wants to bung a few quid to a mate for dodgy PPE or a hastily constructed Test and Trace system which doesnāt work.
I still think that is money well spent in terms of providing healthcare - whatever I think about learning the language of oneās adopted country.
Operations both through In-patients and through A&Eā¦ (here in France)
In my personal experience, every effort is made to ensure the patient understands what is going to happen ā¦
of courseā¦ in A&E the patient is not always in a position to receive such infoā¦ 
My experience of helping native english speakers negotiate the NHS in their mother tongue is that in many many cases it is not the fact that you are not a native speaker that is the problem. People often donāt understand what they are being told whatever the language.
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Ha haā¦ yesā¦ too much information can be bafflingā¦ 
Entirely true - so how much harder is it in a second language?
Actuallyā¦ Iāve found that French medics often use āsimplifiedā French to explain to OH/me ā¦
ā¦ after they see my/our puzzled expression at whatever medical-terminology they have come out withā¦
Of necessity, Iām much better at understanding the basics nowā¦ but still like to confirm in very simple French what is actually going onā¦ etcā¦
I have encountered both vets and doctors who do speak English and together with my French we get along very well.
Our GP speaks perfect English? having worked in the USA for three years, but you still have the same problem with all doctors here in France which is that want to send you to a specialist for everything, as they are helping out their friends financially. Of course, if it is really necessary you do need to see a specialist, as I did, my doctor said when I was diagnosed with cancer, you can see this specialist, but I can get you an appointment with this one and I think you will get on with her much better. This was true, but she spoke no English at all.
You can buy French/English Medical dictionaries to make sure that you are really getting the true picture.
The same applies to our vet, he speaks English but is by no means fluent.
I have found that there is always a willingness to make sure that you do understand.
I sometimes think (and please no howls of horror about being sexist) that French male doctors / vets /etc are better at explaining things to women whose first language is not French, precisely because we are women and therefore wonāt get our little heads round this. Iām very happy to accept that attitude. Iād much rather they explain slowly and carefully, making sure I do understand.
That said, Iām extremely grateful that I have an English vet as all our dogs have been very high maintenance. Also dentist, because Iāve been VERY high maintenance.
Probably no different actually. If you donāt understand in English, and if you also then donāt understand in french you are no worse off.
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That was not the case! The doctor just had a nasty attitude, which made me feel very uncomfortable and I knew, that he was not a person I would trust! My french is not fluent, but I am managing to get things accomplished, regardless whether it is an educated person or my hay farmer, whose french takes some getting used to.
I do not expect fluency in the English language, just a willingness to try and I look over mistakes, because it is just their second language!