French health care was costly but excellent
MY RECENT experience of the health service in France may be of interest to some of your readers.
On holiday in Dinard, I was taken ill and removed to St Malo hospital on a Friday. Within the course of a few hours, they had done an ECG, blood pressure, temperature, a blood test, a chest X-ray, echography (look it up, I did) and MRI scan of the lungs, followed by further diagnostic blood tests over 24 hours. It was decided that angioplasty was needed, and this was done on the Monday. I was out on Wednesday with a detailed account of what had been done, and X-ray photos for my GP.
Of course you could not expect some of these services in Guernsey, but I doubt that you would get them so rapidly or efficiently in the UK either.
The cost was 8,800 euros (just over £7,100) which is not unreasonable considering the specialists involved, particularly the cardiologist and surgeon and five days in hospital.
I was told that I must not fly, which was just as well as Aurigny had cancelled the flight that day.
So, make sure you have travel or health insurance, and it is whole lot easier if you have a reliable travelling companion and/or guardian angel.
R. G. DENTON,
La Grande Maison,
Rue des Simons,
Torteval.
