Hello All,
Friends just signed for a house between Miramont de Guyenne (47800) and Lauzun (47410) and are looking for an English speaking Doctor. They are taking French lessons but obviously would like a little help if possible!
Please could you send any recommendation to me by PM (as I understand this is the rules!)
Many thanks!
Quite honestly, unless anyone else on the forum happens to live in the same village, their best bet is to get the Yellow Pages and phone down the list of doctors to find out which ones speak English.
It’s me… doing my usual thing… send your friends to their Mairie…
They will find/be told/given info about doctors and medical centres (as applicable)… and they can introduce themselves as the new/prospective owners of *** house… 
Thanks, I was just hoping there would be someone around in the same area. As they have ongoing medical needs I think they were going to try & register by phone before they arrive.
Thanks anyway
Not quite as easy as that Beth…
Depending on their health situation… they need to arrange something with their UK Doc… perhaps extra medication to tide them over… and a letter of explanation would be useful.
You can’t ‘register’ with a n MT (GP) in France by phone. Here’s a link to info and a downloadable form to get them started once they’ve selected their MT - it will ensure maximum available reimbursement when visiting their nominated doc. Reimbursement is at a lower level for visiting a different one.
When they first arrive and in advance of getting accepted into the French healthcare system, they can go to any doctor they like. In France you don’t need to be registered with a doctor to make an appointment to see him/her. They can visit any doctor they like (and can get an appointment with), and pay the consultation fee (20-odd euros, I forget how much exactly) and the cost of any prescriptions. If they keep the paperwork they may be able to claim part of it back either via their EHIC if this is a holiday home and they will be in France as visitors, or from CPAM if they’re making a permanent move.
If it’s a permanent move then once they’re registered with CPAM it’s a different situation, but you can’t apply to join PUMA (the name of the French healthcare system) until you’ve been here for at least 3 months, and it can take a while for the paperwork to be checked and processed, so as Stella says they would be well advised to plan carefully for their medical needs in the first few months. Also, to speed up the registration process as much as possible, they should check what documents they will need to go with their application - birth certificates, marriage certificate if applicable, proof of income etc - and start getting their dossiers ready before they arrive. I think sometimes French translations of some things are required.