Finding a (English-speaking) doctor in Paris

Sciences Po requires a medical certificate that proofs you're healthy for students who want to take sports classes. That's why I had to find a doctor in Paris. There are thousands of general practitioners in Paris, but it was extremely difficult to find an affordable doctor that works for an office where they speak English as well.

The system for general practitioners in France is confusing. A GP is either conventionné or not. A médecin généraliste non-conventionné is like a private doctor and he charges you accordingly. He can charge whatever he wants, so don't be surprised if you have to pay € 70 for a short consult. And don't expect your health insurance company to reimburse this money, because these doctors often don't have an agreement with health insurance companies!

You're more likely to get a reimbursement from your health insurance company if you visit a médecin généraliste conventionné. The prices charged by such a GP are fixed. He or she agreed to charge according to a convention (agreement) between the French state and health insurance companies to make sure affordable medical care is available to people. A consult of a GP conventionné should cost € 23. In some cases you may have to pay more, depending on the treatment and the medicines you need. Always make sure you call the office of a GP in advance and ask how much a consult costs! 

To make it even more confusing, some GP's in France are only partly conventionné. I made an appointment with a GP who advertised herself as a conventionné doctor, but she asked € 40 for a consult to give me the medical certificate! A few phone calls later, I found a medical centre with English-speaking staff where I could get the medical certificate for € 23. I saved € 17! For the address of this medical centre, see below.

The last information I would like to give you is that unfortunately most English-speaking doctors in Paris are private. They're special (not many French people speak English well, let alone speak English fluently), so I understand that they want to get paid extra for their language skills. For students or other people with a limited budget, this is a pity. The lists of English-speaking doctors that the American and Canadian embassies provide are therefore not very helpful. Most of them are private doctors. 

Practical information
Address

Centre Médical et Dentaire Opéra

31 Rue de Caumartin, 75009 Paris

Phone number: +33 1 44 51 68 28. When you call the office you can choose between information in French or English and the man who answered the phone was able to speak both languages.

Arrondissement
9^th
Price

€ 23 for a consult. 

Website

http://www.cmopera.fr/
Metro
The nearest metro station is Havre-Caumartin or Opéra (red circle below).