HOW TO SEE A DOCTOR IN GERMANY

Have you ever thought of calling the fire brigade in case of a health emergency? Well in Germany that’s what you do. If you are member of a public health insurance in Germany, you are expected to go to the dentist at least one time per year – otherwise your treatment might not be covered!

Read the following facts to learn about what to do when you are sick in Germany, how to make a doctor’s appointment and how to find English-speaking doctors in Germany.

#1 IT‘S WEEKEND, OR ITS LATE NIGHT. I DON’T FEEL WELL. WHO CAN I CALL FOR HELP?

Imagine: It’s Sunday and all doctors are at home with their families… Where to go to? You are in urgent need of medical attention during the night or on the weekend when most of the people are on holiday.

In Germany you can always call a doctor if you do not feel well. If it’s in the middle of the night or on the weekend when all the clinics have closed, then you can call 116 117. Here you can talk directly to a German doctor. Most of the time they should be able to speak English, or refer you to someone that speaks English. You can also call the number during the day, if you feel you are unable to leave the house. When to call 116 117? You can call it if you have a bad fever; if you cut yourself but you are not bleeding to death; or if you feel pain that is not absolutely acute. Once you have called the number, they will usually send a doctor to come and see you personally. The doctor will give you medicine on the spot. In the worst case he will call an ambulance to take you to hospital.

If you are in a life-threatening situation immediately call 112. This is the emergency number in Germany. If you ring this number, please indicate where you live, who you are and what is wrong. You can speak English. They will send an ambulance to you, which should arrive within a few minutes. Only call the emergency hotline in a medical emergency!

In case of high emergency you can also drive to a hospital (Krankenhaus) yourself.  You can report to the Accident and Emergency (Ambulanz / Notaufnahme) at any hospital. For this just google “Krankenhaus + your city“.

Call ‘112’ for high emergency cases; call ‘116 117’ for other emergencies. Both numbers work 24/7.

All emergency expenses are automatically covered by your public health insurance in Germany. As a member of public health insurance you don’t need to pay anything, if you go to hospital or if you call the ambulance in Germany. However, make sure to bring your Gesundheitskarte (proof of health insurance) and your passport when you go to hospital or see a doctor. If you’re privately insured you will need to pay the invoices of emergencies yourself before you get (partially or fully) reimbursed by your insurance provider.

#2 WHY DO I CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY IN GERMANY?

The emergency numbers in Germany are 110 (police) and 112 (fire brigade).

Strangely enough, in Germany you call the fire brigade in case of health-related emergencies.

The reason is simple.

Having one hotline for all emergencies makes the coordination easier. Once you call them, they will ask you questions like: where you are, what happened, etc. They will forward your information to the nearest hospital or fire brigade – depending on the kind of emergency you are reporting.

Importantly, don’t be confused, if someone has a heart attack and a German says, ‘I’m calling the fire brigade’! What that person really means to say, is that he is calling the general emergency hotline 112.

#3 WHAT KINDS OF DOCTORS ARE THERE IN GERMANY?

In the German health care system there is a variety of doctors. When you have moved to Germany you should get a general practitioner / doctor (Allgemeinarzt). If you don’t speak German, no worries. There should be many general practitioners that speak English. Just google “Allgemeinarzt Englisch + your city”.

This general practitioner will be your first point of contact if you are ill. It is very important that you report to the doctor when you cannot go to work because of your illness. In this case, the doctor confirms your illness. You will get a ‘Krankheitsbescheinigung’ (illness confirmation). You must send this confirmation to your employer. Some employer want such a confirmation from day one of your illness. Other employers in Germany only want you to submit a confirmation from the third day of illness. Better check what your employer wants. In any case, it’s important to call in sick when you cannot go to work. Do not send an email or a text message, but make a personal call.

So whenever you are sick in Germany, the first thing you do is go to a Allgemeinarzt (general practitioner). He checks what is wrong. If it is something severe or he cannot help you, he will refer you to a specialist. For this you will get a Überweisung (transferral). Without this document, you cannot go see a specialist. You must be transferred to a specialist by your GP! The only specialists you do not need referrals for is gynecologist and dentist!

Women in Germany usually go to a gynecologist twice a year for regular check-ups. The contraception pill is usually not covered by your health insurance if you are over 18 years old. One package for about 3 months costs usually around 20-30 Euros.

If you are member of a public health insurance in Germany, it is usually expected that you go see a dentist at least once a year. Otherwise the insurance will not cover the expenses of a visit at the dentist! So make sure to go regularly!

#4 WHAT IS A ‘GESUNDHEITSKARTE’ AND HOW TO GET IT?

The Gesundheitskarte is your German health insurance card. It is a document confirming that you have health insurance.

Your personal data and health information are stored on this card.

You must always carry your Gesundheitskarte with you. If you go to hospital or see a doctor in Germany they will always ask for your German health insurance card.

You get a health insurance card from your health insurance provider.

If you live in Germany, you must have health insurance. About 85% of Germans have public health insurance. The rest is privately insured.

 A COUPLE OF WEEKS?

If you are member of German public health insurance, your employer will normally pay six weeks’ full salary if you are ill.

In order to get ‘sick pay’ you must have confirmation of your doctor that you are ill (Krankenbescheinigung). It is also very important that you stay in touch with your employer while you are sick.

You should inform him of how long you might be away for, so the employer can find a temporary replacement, if necessary.

It is common courtesy in Germany to call your employer if you are ill – do not send a text or email. You can send the doctor’s illness confirmation by letter.

After six weeks the government scheme pays a percentage of your income as Krankengeld (‘public sick pay’) for up to a maximum of 78 weeks. As you can see, you’re well taken care of.

If you are self-employed then you only get sick pay if you have a private sick-pay health insurance.

#6 HOW TO FIND ENGLISH-SPEAKING DOCTORS?

Generally you can find English-speaking doctors and specialists in most parts of Germany nowadays. To search for them you can of course use Google, or ask in expats groups on Facebook (see our online community).

Alternatively, if you are member of AOK public health insurance in Germany, you can ring up their service hotline 0800 265 5000.

They speak 17 languages and can assist you with any question you may have.

You can call them around the clock i.e. 24/7.  You tell them what kind of a doctor you need to see. An AOK employee will search for an English-speaking doctor and even make the appointment on behalf of you. Easy, isn’t it?

If you live in Berlin, there is a great website called http://doctorberlin.de/ Here you can look out for doctors in Berlin that speak English, French, Arabic and more languages!

#7 DO I NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE A DOCTOR?

Generally, yes, you do. Especially for specialists, you must make an appointment. It is normal to wait a couple of weeks to see a specialist, sometimes even a few months. Be sure to make appointments as early as possible.

In case of an emergency or if you need a ‘sick leave’ – a verification for your employer that you’re ill – you don’t need an appointment.

There are always visiting hours where you can come in without an appointment at your general practitioner’s (Allgemeinarzt).

Just ring the reception up and ask whether you can come around on the same day. You better call first thing in the morning and go there as early as possible. Otherwise, you might well have to wait a few hours before you get to see your doctor in Germany…

#8 I HAVE PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE. HOW DOES IT WORK WITH THE PAYMENT?

If you’re privately insured, it works as follows. When you go see a doctor, you will get an invoice for the treatment a few days or weeks after the treatment. You must first pay this bill yourself.

Be sure to make a copy of the bill for your own record. Send the bill to your private health insurance provider. The provider should reimburse you after one to three weeks. Exactly how long depends on what kind of health insurance agreement you have. Some agreements cover 100%, some less. Again, check your contract!

What about medicine and prescriptions in Germany? Who pays for it?

If your doctor in Germany prescribes your medicine, then you take the prescription to the pharmacy. Tell the pharmacy that you need a copy of the prescription and a stamp for your private health insurance. You pay for the medicine yourself in the first instance. Then send the copy of the prescription and the payment receipt to your health provider. Again, you should receive the reimbursement directly on your German bank account within a few weeks. In case you don’t have one yet, here you can open a German bank account online.

#9 I HAVE PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE IN GERMANY. DO I NEED TO PAY FOR MEDICINE AND TREATMENTS?

If you are member of a public health insurance like AOK in Germany, then everything is quite easy. You will get a so-called Gesundheitskarte (German health card). You must always carry this card with you. When you go see a doctor, you first go to the reception. There you give the receptionist your German health card.

If you have public health insurance in Germany most treatments and medicine are covered. You should talk with your health insurance to check the details of course. Some homeopathic and dental treatments are not included. However, if you inform yourself in detail about what your health insurance covers, you may be surprised! If you have back pain you get prescribed free massages.

If your doctor wants to give you a prescription for medicine (it’s a small piece of paper), ask him, if the public health insurance pays for it. Then you take the prescription to an Apotheke (drug store). The drug store will give you the medicine.

If you go to the gym regularly, your health insurance provider may sponsor your gym membership. If you are member of AOK, ask your English-speaking representative for more details.

If you go see a dentist be aware that only the ‘basic’ treatments are usually covered. Before you get new teeth or have a major surgery at the dentist, you should absolutely check with your public health insurance first! Send them the dentist’s proposal of how much it will cost (Kostenvoranschlag). This way you can avoid having to pay large sums of money yourself, if the insurance provider decides not to cover something!

Most vaccinations are covered by public health insurances in Germany. Even travel vaccinations and malaria tablets are often paid for. Make sure to check with your insurance before you get vaccined, though. Some vaccinations are even obligatory in Germany! Ask your personal doctor / general practitioner for more information. Make sure to bring your vaccination booklet, if you have one.

As for medicine and prescriptions, not everything is covered. Sometimes you have to contribute a small sum yourself, or have to pay the medicine yourself. Check with your health insurance provider.

Credit http://www.germanymantra.com/