Tips around Health

Finding a doctor

In Germany there is a free choice of doctors, meaning you can pick your the one you prefer. A list of all medical doctors, specialists and dentists in Bochum can be found in the Yellow Pages or on the internet.

• www.med-kolleg.de
• www.aerztebochum.de
• www.aerzte-im-netz.de
• Doctors speaking other languages: http://www.kvwl.de/earzt/ 

If there is no acute problem, make an appointment by phone. That saves a lot of waiting time.

Insurance card

Everyone with health insurance receives an insurance card on which your insurance status and your address are kept. Medical data is not saved, however.
You have to show your insurance card when receiving any kind of medical treatment, not only at the doctor's, but also in clinics, at the physiotherapist's or psychotherapist's.

Extra payments and surgery fee

The regulations for extra payments and surgery fees are only relevant for members of compulsory health insurance companies: If you take advantage of medical help for the first time in a quarter year, you have to pay a surgery fee of 10,- €. This fee must be paid in advance of treatment. Once the fee for the quarter has been paid, all further visits to the same doctor are free of charge. This doctor can also give you a referral to other doctors. If you don't have a referral, you have to pay the surgery fee again.
Unfortunately the regulation is even more complicated. For emergency services (e.g. in hospitals), at dentists and at psychotherapists, the fee has to be paid again.

For vaccinations and routine examinations at the dentist's or gynaecologist's no surgery fee has to be paid.

In addition to the surgery fee further extra payments may be necessary, e.g. 5,- € to 10,- € for prescription drugs or a 10,- € contribution a day for hospital stays.
Once the extra payments and surgery fees have exceeded a certain limit (2% of gross income), your health insurance takes over further costs. For the chronically ill and families there are special regulations.

Keep all receipts of surgery fees and extra payments, so that you can prove the costs to your health insurance.

Pharmacies

Drugs that can't be sold without consultation are only available at pharmacies in Germany. Pharmacies, "Apotheken", can be recognised by the big red "A" above their door. Here you can buy over-the-counter as well as prescription drugs.

Prescription drugs cost the same everywhere, with over-the-counter drugs it might be worth comparing prices.

Pharmacies have about the same opening hours as normal shops, at night and at week-ends there are emergency services. At every pharmacy there are notices of what pharmacy nearby is on emergency service. Should you require prescription drugs outside of opening hours, first call the medical emergency service (Phone 0234/19292).

If you have to take medication regularly, bring it with you to Germany just in case it is not available in Germany.

• Pharmacies in Bochum: http://www.apothekenbochum.de
• Pharmacy emergeny service online: http://www.citylive.de/aponodie