What to do in case of illness?
If you need medical help in case of illness, there are various options open to you. Read this article to find out when you should visit a doctor's surgery or go to hospital and how you can get the medication you need.
Free choice of doctor
In Germany, patients have a free choice of doctor. This means that you can decide for yourself which doctor's surgery you would like to visit first in the event of illness. Important: Remember to bring your health insurance card with you every time you visit a doctor!
If you are ill and need medical advice, your first port of call is usually a general practitioner's surgery or an internal medicine doctor's surgery (= internist). It is best if you keep going back to the same doctor's surgery (family doctor's surgery) so that you can build up a relationship of trust with the medical staff.
Your family doctor will make an initial diagnosis, prescribe appropriate medication if necessary and refer you to a specialist practice or hospital if necessary.
You can visit some medical practices without having seen your family doctor first:
- Pediatrics and adolescent medicine
- Gynecology (gynecology)
- Ophthalmology
- Dentistry
In an emergency
In urgent emergencies or after an accident, you can also visit the emergency room of a hospital immediately. If you urgently need a doctor (e.g. because you have been seriously injured or are in a lot of pain), call 112 directly!
If you do not have to report an emergency but still need urgent medical advice and your doctor's surgery is closed, you can call 116 117 around the clock.
You can find a list of addresses of emergency practices in Hamburg on the website of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Sick note
If you are employed and temporarily unable to work due to illness, the practice will arrange for your employer to receive a certificate of incapacity for work. It is nevertheless important that you inform your employer that you are unable to work.
Costs
For patients who are members of a statutory health insurance fund, the doctor will settle the costs directly with the respective health insurance fund. If you have taken out private health insurance, you will receive an invoice for the medical treatment by post. You will normally have to pay the costs yourself first. You then send the invoice to your private health insurance company for reimbursement.
Further information
Detailed information on the healthcare system in Germany can be found in the brochure of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Brochure Healthcare in Germany (in various languages).
Doctor search
If you want to search for general practitioners or specialists in Hamburg, there are some useful search options on the Internet, for example
- the online search function of the Hamburg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (here you can also search for the language spoken by the doctor): www.kvhh.ne
- the online search function of the Hamburg Medical Association: www.aerztekammer-hamburg.org → patients → doctor search
- the online search function of the Hamburg Dental Association: www.zahnaerzte-hh.d
Tip:
The toll-free number +49 (0) 40 / 20 22 99 222 offers support and advice on questions about health and illness and when searching for a doctor.
Hospitals
Hospitals treat acute medical emergencies, but also carry out special examinations, operations and deliveries that are planned for longer periods. For these scheduled hospital appointments, your attending physician will issue you with a written referral to a hospital (“prescription for hospital treatment”).
The severity of the injury or illness will determine whether the treatment is carried out on an inpatient or outpatient basis. In the case of inpatient treatment, you must stay overnight in hospital so that permanent medical monitoring can be guaranteed. Outpatient treatment is when you spend neither the night before nor the night after treatment in hospital.
Costs
The costs for all medically necessary services during a hospital stay (examinations, operations, nursing care, medication, remedies and aids, meals, inpatient accommodation) are generally covered by your health insurance. Members of a statutory health insurance fund must pay an additional €10 per day of treatment for hospital treatment (for a maximum of 28 days in a calendar year, as of 2024).
Hospitals overview
Use the Hamburg hospital portal to get an overview of hospitals in your area. The hospital portal is an interactive German-language map with a search and filter function in which all Hamburg hospitals are listed. Simply enter your address in the search field. All hospitals in the immediate vicinity will then be displayed. The filter function also enables an even more precise search with regard to “obstetrics” and / or “emergency and accident care”.
Medication
In Germany, a distinction is made between pharmacies and drugstores. While pharmacies only sell medicines and medical products, drugstores primarily sell cosmetics, hygiene products and cleaning agents. Every pharmacy is clearly marked from the outside with a red “A” and is managed by a trained pharmacist.
There are different types of medication. Medication for colds and minor aches and pains can also be purchased at the pharmacy without a doctor's prescription. However, you usually have to pay for these preparations in full yourself, as the costs are not covered by your health insurance.
Stronger medications, such as all antibiotics, require a prescription. This means that you will only receive these medications if they have been expressly prescribed by a doctor. The costs of prescription medication are usually covered by your health insurance fund. However, if you are a member of a statutory health insurance fund, you will have to pay at least a co-payment of up to 10 euros for some medicines (as of 2024). People with low or no income can apply to their health insurance provider for exemption from the co-payment obligation.
Emergency service
Like other stores, pharmacies have opening hours. Outside of these hours, however, there is a pharmacy emergency service at night and at weekends. You can find the nearest pharmacy on duty online at www.aponet.de.