Doctors and Healthcare
If you need to see a doctor in Germany you can ask your colleagues or acquaintances for a recommendation. Your local classified directory (Yellow Pages/ "Gelbe Seiten") will provide you with a list of all of the doctors, listed according to their field of expertise. It is often advisable to consult a general practitioner first ("Hausarzt"), who will then transfer you to a specialist if necessary. You should always ring the doctor’s surgery in advance to make an appointment. In cases of accident or emergency, you will be given an appointment immediately or on the same day. In non-urgent cases, you will probably have to wait a couple of days or even weeks for an appointment, particularly when wishing to see a dentist or a specialist.
Emergency services
If you urgently require a doctor at night, at the weekend or during a public holiday, you will have to turn to the emergency services (otherwise known as "ärztlicher Notdienst" or "ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst"). The telephone numbers are listed on the right-hand side of this page.
Pharmacy service
If you need medication at night or out of hours during the weekend, you should find out which pharmacies are open all night (the "Apotheken-Notdienst") on which specific days. These are normally listed in local newspapers and on the internet. Furthermore, every pharmacy has a list on its door informing you which ones are open at night.
Costs of medical treatment
Please read chapter 11 in the Guide for International Researchers below to find out about the costs of medical treatment:
Guide for International Researchers, chapter 11:
Concerning doctors and healthcare. Read more here (page 123) (1.1 MB)Partly translated by: Dr. Lynda Lich-Knight, ResearchComm Ltd.
