In Germany there are two different health insurance systems. The majority of citizens are in the public insurance scheme, which is part of the social welfare system. This means that their contribution depends on their monthly income and even if they are unemployed they will always be guaranteed to receive necessary treatments. Those who have a good income take the responsibility for other citizens in less fortunate circumstances. Some people join a private insurance company instead. Almost every hospital and every doctor treats both private and public insurance patients, so you do not need to worry whether a doctor will accept you as a patient.

Doctors

If you have the bad luck to fall sick during your stay in Germany you should not hesitate to see a doctor. There are very many doctors practising in all the districts of Aachen and 98% of them can communicate in English without any problems.

Read this article on "How to get an appointment with a doctor".

The first time you visit the doctor, you will have to pay 10€ fee in cash. (10 € Fee has been removed since January 2013) If you have a private health insurance, you will need to pay the entire fee in cash or with a credit card. Later you will receive this money back from your insurance company. If you have a public health insurance from a EU-member-state, you can pay with your European health-insurance-card. If you have no health insurance at all and you are not able to pay the doctor, you should go there none the less – they are obliged to help you if you are seriously sick.

If you fall sick on Sunday or late in the evening, you can go to the “Hausärztliche Notdienstpraxis im Luisenhospital” which is in Boxgraben 99. They open every day in the evening until 10pm and on weekends between 10am and 10pm. You can reach them by phone (0241- 4142100).

It’s in the middle of the night and suddenly you feel like you’re about to die? Go to the hospital… there is an emergency duty 24 hours a day. You are unable to walk and no one is there to help you – call the 112.

If you urgently need a dentist on the weekend call 0241 80 84444 for free and they will advise you where to go or who to call. Most of the dentist can speak english, some also other foreign languages like turkish or mandarin.

Pharmacies

Read our article about pharmacies and remember that you need a prescription from a doctor to get strong medicine.

Hospitals

Uniklinikum has a very distinct architectureThere are four mayor hospitals in Aachen:

The university hospital of the RWTH "Uniklinik" has many specialists for every case and for complicated injuries. The other hospitals are not so specialized but they are closer to the city, often less crowded and absolutely equally good qualified to deal with all the common injuries and diseases.

Moreover there is a psychiatry in Alexianergraben 33 called Alexianer-Krankenhaus.

In the weekend or at night times you need to look up which hospital has the duty for emergency admission at this date.

Emergency Call

ambulance and fire brigade 112

poisoning 0228 19240

dentist 0180 5986700