First blood test

I had my first blood test in France yesterday and also tested out exactly how my new French social security number works.

The blood test was fine. I had been given a blood form by my gastroenterologist and told to have the test about a week before my infliximab infusion. I took the form to our local laboratoire, where local doctors send their patients for a variety of tests, including blood tests.

My plan was to make an appointment for later in the week but I was offered one there and then, if I could wait a couple of minutes. By the time the receptionist had taken my details and social security number, the previous patient had gone and it was my turn.

I was relieved to find out that having blood taken in France is exactly the same as in the UK. The phlebotomist commented on my small veins and ended up picking the same one to try. The only thing different was the plaster, which was superior to NHS plaster and didn’t irritate my skin at all.

The blood results will be sent back to me and I will take them with me to the hospital when I have my infliximab infusion. So there will be no desperate searching in my notes or on a computer system.

It is an interesting way of working and one that dates back a long time. The laboratoire I went to in Place Malherbe has been there for over 80 years – or so says the mural in the square.

In the UK there are always problems getting blood tests done, particularly for people who work nine to five, with GP practices having different arrangements and different forms only being accepted by certain phlebotomy departments.

There are dozens of laboratories around the city, often next to a pharmacy, and there are also nurses’ offices (cabinets d’infirmières) where you go to have injections or dressings done. So GPs just need their office, a pen and a pile of forms and don’t have to worry about providing all these ancillary services or computer systems.

I’m not sure if this is old-fashioned, but it does seem to work. Looking at the health service and local government here, being in France is not unlike the UK before the cataclysm of the 1980s.

My social security number seems to work a treat. I went to settle the bill (€28.00) for seeing my gastroenterologist and when the receptionist saw the magic phrase “100% sauf medicaments vignettes bleues” she photocopied the form and that was the bill settled.

Likewise, at the laboratoire, the receptionist looked at the form, saw the 100% figure and that was it. I am so relieved that I went down this route to get my health care covered.