General Physician

There are a variety of doctors in Germany. However, general doctor (Allgemeinarzt) is the most frequently visited one. You can find one definitely in the area you live. There should be a general doctor speaking english. Just google the allgemeinarzt (englisch) + the postal code and all the english speaking doctors in your area will be listed down.

When you fall sick, always contact the general doctor first and foremost. If you think you need to visit a specialist for any health reason don't directly go to the specialist. First go to the general doctor and you will be forwarded to the specialist giving a kind of receipt called 'Überweisung'. This receipt has to be shown to the specialist for the health insurance to be covered. If you go directly to the specialist there are chances for you to pay for them from your own pocket, which will definitely be a huge amount.

You must make an appointment before going. Just call the reception desk, make an appointment and then visit the doctor. For specialist it may take from 2 weeks to months to get an appointment.

For tourists who don't have German health insurance

Non EU residents have to get a health insurance from your home country, which covers any medical costs in Germany when they come here to visit.

How to find a physician or hospital in your location

To find  physicians  / hospitals by location with their specialty, please follow the below website link in English.

MedKolleg -Portal for Medicine & Health :  www.med-kolleg.de/docsearch

Germany's largest doctor recommendation portal : www.jameda.de

Midwives (Hebamme)

Pregnancy, as much festive it sounds, could be terrifying to most of us. It is overwhelming especially when you are an expat, having your first child in a Country that’s still new to you and a new language to top it up. But hey you are now living in Germany, a country that provides a wonderful experience during pregnancy as well as after child birth. While the concept of a Midwife (Hebamme) may be quite new to us, it is the best prenatal care one could ask for. A Hebamme is a trained medical professional who specializes in pregnancy, child birth and post-delivery child care. And what does she do? Well, technically, she is the one who takes care of child birth (the doctors step in only when there is a medical intervention needed). She talks to the expectant parents, discusses what to expect, clears all your doubts about pregnancy and prepares you for child birth, conducts prenatal classes (exercises, new born child care, etc.), assist child birth, answers all your doubts about breastfeeding the newborn (or if you should think about formula- when the breast milk is not enough for the baby) and finally tracks the newborns development and the mothers recovery during the first 8-12 weeks.

All these explained when do you start looking for a Hebamme? Many Hebamme take only a few clients at a time. So it is in your best interest to find one at the earliest and register. It is important to inquire with your Health insurance provider (Krankenkasse) about the number of consultations covered before and after childbirth, whether or not the Prenatal classes for a partner is covered, etc. before starting the consultation. While most of the services are covered, some might not be (like prenatal massages) and end up being expensive.

To find Midwives near your area, Please use the below link . Use filters with postal code , preferred languages to make the best search.
Happy Parenting !

www.hebammensuche.de

Sick Pay (Krankengeld)

When you are ill the and a member of public health insurance the employer will pay six weeks of salary full. Get a confirmation from the doctor ( Krankenbescheinigung ) and it has to be given to the employer. It is important to contact with the employer when sick and inform how long you'll not attend the office. Once back the krankenbescheinigung has to be handed over. After the six weeks of illness, the government will pay a certain percentage of the salary.

Medical Receipt colors and the meaning

The doctor gives you the medical prescription for the pharmacy in different colored receipts such as red,green,blue and yellow. Thy usually signal the billing payment and the period of validity.

  1. Pink : The prescriptions on the red receipt are usually taken over by the statutory health insurance. The pink recipe is valid for four weeks from the date of issue. Thereafter, the patient could "redeem" it in the pharmacy for two months, but then he would have to pay the prescribed drugs completely out of his own pocket.
  2. Blue: The blue private recipe is usually only privately insured. The patients must pay the costs themselves. Even insured persons receive a blue prescription, if the prescription drug is not included in the catalog of benefits of the statutory health insurance, such as the pill for contraception. The insured person bears the costs himself. The validity is three months.
  3. Yellow: Due to the strict regulations, narcotics and strong painkillers must be issued on a yellow prescription. It consists of three parts, one original and two copies, and is subject to strict regulations. It is valid for seven days from the date of issue.
  4. Green: This is merely a doctor's recommendation for an over-the-counter medication as a reminder to the patient. Therefore, this "green recipe" is valid indefinitely. The patient has to pay for the medication himself. However, he can claim the costs of the income tax return as so-called "extraordinary burdens", if he can print the green prescription in the pharmacy as a receipt.