3557 English Speaking Doctor in Martina Franca

I noticed that someone posted a thread August 2005 about an english speaking doctor in Ostuni. Was one ever found as it is not clear from conversations. We have recently moved here, just outside Martina Franca and we are looking for an english speaking or even partially english speaking doctor if one exists! I noticed on the thread that a couple of comments suggested contacting ASL. Having only recently moved here we are still learning the ropes and don't know who what or where the ASL is! Any assistance would be gratefully received.

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/06/2006 - 13:36

Hazel or Lyn may have an answer, I'm still learning too! Try Puglia Posse, others on there may have an answer.

[URL="http://www.puglia-posse.com/phpBB/index.php"][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#800080]puglia-posse[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/06/2006 - 14:42

ASL stands for Azienda Sanitaria Locale - in other words the "company" which delivers health care locally, or the National Health (for UK users). Your neighbours are more likely to refer to the same body as USL (spoken, usla).
If you are from Europe, (or maybe from further away, I don't know details on non EU citizens) - and have a permesso di soggiorno, you are entitled to use this health care system, which - in my opinion - is extremely good. All you have to do is find your local ASL office and register with a local medico di famiglia. (GP, in UK).
Most Italian doctors have a very good command of English, but they are unwilling to speak it. However, unless you are looking for something like a psychiatrist (where I can imagine precise language could be an issue), talking to an Italian GP is one of the few scenarios where speaking slowly in English will work!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/07/2006 - 12:17

Thank you both for your advice. I will search out our local ASL office and also have a look on the puglia posse forum

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/07/2006 - 12:52

We are in San Vito dei Normanni and are resident here. Been here exactly a year now....OK everyone ...Happy Anniversary to us !!!!:D ...sorry I digress !!! ( can't spell...or can I ??? )

We went to local ASL and signed on ..very straightforward once you have your Permisso and once we had our residency they then registered us with our own GP here in San Vito.

Apparantley he is English Speaking...so really laughed at your comment Relaxed as it is Oh so true !!!......as yet we haven't heard him utter a word in English but that may be because I can 'get by' in Italian !!!!!!
Reallly nice bloke tho'... and makes me so relaxed ( s'cus the pun !!!) as when I go in he always has the newspaper open, looks up, says Buon Giorno ,does my prescription , says Buona Giornata and goes back to his newspaper...so Eddie Izzard 'Ciao'....never come out without a smile on my face,

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/07/2006 - 15:16

Happy first anniversary Alex and Lyn and many more to look forward too! :) :) :)