Travel Advice - Medical and dental assistance when traveling internationally

If you are in need of a doctor, medical specialist, or dentist while abroad, you can contact the US Embassy in the country and ask the Consular Officer for a list of English speaking practitioners who can provide assistance.

If you are unable to contact the Embassy, ask the staff at your hotel if they can recommend an English-speaking doctor or dentist. If your hotel does not have a knowledgeable staff, stop in at the concierge desk of an upscale hotel, ask if they can recommend an English-speaking doctor, and tip them the equivalent of five bucks for the recommendation.

Of course, if there is a travel information office in the city, call or stop in and ask them for a recommendation.

Finally, if the situation is an emergency, abandon the search for a doctor and do what you would do at home, head for a hospital.

Trying to communicate a medical problem with someone who does not speak English is difficult. On a recent trip  one of our travelers reported that a temporary dental crown dislodged while they were in Milan. They described stopping in a pharmacy and trying to convey the problem to the man behind the counter. No one else in the store spoke English so the traveler pantomimed the problem, sticking a thumb against  a tooth and pushing upward.   Eventually  the comedy act worked, the pharmacist got the idea, and the traveler smiled, as the pharmacist brought out a tube of "dentale crema adesiva". Si!

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