EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Police 110
Fire and Ambulance 112
Police, ambulance and fire brigade numbers apply throughout Germany and can be called toll-free from all public payphones and mobile phones.
Doctor on call (Bereitschaftsarzt) 31003-1
24-hour service for house calls when your own doctor is not available. www.kvberlin.de
Pharmacies (Apotheken-Notdienst) 31003-1
After-hours call system for pharmacies www.akberlin.de
Dental Service
EMERGENCY ROOMS
Emergency rooms are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for all specialties.
ROUTINE MEDICAL SERVICES
To find a GP (Hausarzt or Allgemeiner Arzt) look in the telephone directory under Ärzte. Children are usually treated by a pediatrician (Kinderarzt). GPs make referrals to a specialist if necessary, but some specialist doctors will take patients without prior referral.
There is no obligation to remain with a particular doctor. The German system allows free choice of doctors and if a patient is unhappy with treatment received, they are free to find an alternative practice.
Most doctors operate on an appointment system and surgeries (Sprechstunden) are generally open every weekday morning, but not every afternoon.
Most doctors in Germany can speak at least a little English (depending on the area). A foreigner in Germany can contact their embassy or consulate to request a list of doctors who speak their language.
All health insurance companies provide a plastic ID card which must be presented when visiting a doctor. For people with state insurance, the bill is automatically sent to the insurance company but the patient must pay the €10 fee for the first visit every quarter. Patients with private insurance must pay for treatment upfront and seek reimbursement from their insurance company.