Emergency Healthcare in Germany
Understanding emergency services
Germany has a tiered emergency response system with distinct services for medical, trauma, and psychiatric emergencies. Response times average 8 minutes in urban areas.
When to call which number
112 – Life-threatening emergencies
Use for:
- Heart attacks
- Severe bleeding
- Unconsciousness
- Major trauma
116117 – Non-emergency medical service
Use for:
- After-hours illnesses
- Minor injuries
- Urgent but non-critical issues
Hospital emergency rooms (Notaufnahme)
Major hospitals have 24/7 emergency departments. Expect:
- Triage assessment
- Long waits for non-critical cases
- Upfront payment requests for private patients
Emergency dental care
Options for dental emergencies:
- University dental clinics
- On-call dentists (Zahnärztlicher Notdienst)
- 116117 for pain management
What to bring to emergencies
- Health insurance card
- ID/passport
- Medication list
- Allergy information
- Vaccination records (for children)
Costs and insurance coverage
Public insurance covers emergency care with these exceptions:
- €10 copay for 116117 services
- Ambulance transport fees (€10-15)
- Non-essential treatments
Language assistance
Most emergency responders speak basic English. For other languages:
- Request interpreter through insurance
- Use translation apps
- Keep medical phrases written down
Follow-up care
After emergency treatment:
- Get discharge papers (Entlassungsbericht)
- Schedule follow-up with Hausarzt
- Submit claims to insurance if needed
