Emergencies
Emergency numbers, hospitals and pharmacies
If you need urgent medical treatment at night or at the weekend, go to Notaufnahme (Accident and Emergency) in the nearest hospital or call an emergency doctor ( Notarzt).
Emergency doctors are listed in local newspapers under the heading of emergency medical service (Ärztlicher Notdienst or Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst). You can also call any other doctor - they usually have an automatic answering service detailing of consulting hours and numbers of doctors on call.
Emergency call 112
The emergency numbers in Germany are 110 (Police) and 112 (Fire Brigade & Ambulance). You can dial free of charge from any public call box. Through the 112 number, you can call for an ambulance (Krankenwagen). In an emergency on a major road (motorway, highway, secondary road), look at the white kilometre stones or posts by the side of the road for arrows pointing in the direction of the nearest emergency telephone.
Pharmacies
If you urgently need medication, the pharmacy emergency section (Apotheken-Notdienst) in local newspapers gives the addresses of the pharmacies open outside normal hours. You can also visit any local pharmacy, which will list the address of the closest open Notdienst in the window or on the door.
Chemists on emergency duty are open all day and all night, you may need to ring a bell for attention out of hours. Extra fees are charged for night and weekend service.
For more information on emergency care in Germany, visit our website on expatriate healthcare and insurance: http://www.expathealth.org .
Also in this section
- Introduction: The German health care system
- Doctors & Dentists: Apointments, visits and insurance refunds
- Hospitals: How to deal with hospital and clinics
- Pharmacies: How to get medication in Germany
- Emergencies: Emergency numbers, hospitals and pharmacies
- Health insurance: How to cover your medical expenses in Germany
- Nursing care: The "5th pillar" of the social security system
