Medical Care
The health care system in Germany enables every citizen to receive comprehensive health care. Various medical facilities exist to ensure this.
If you need a doctor, it is often a good idea to see a general practitioner or family doctor first, who can then refer you to a specialist if necessary.
All appointments with a doctor should be made in advance by telephone. In the event of acute illnesses or accidents, you will usually get an appointment on the same day. In other cases, you may have to wait a few days or weeks, especially with dentists and specialists. Don't forget to bring your health insurance card.
The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) offers the option of a targeted search for doctors on its website. You can filter not only by speciality and location, but also by various different languages: https://www.kvmv.de/service/arztsuche/
For urgent cases at night or at weekends, there are emergency and on-call services (see below).
In addition to the emergency hotline, there are various emergency services. These will always help if the following three conditions are met:
- The symptoms occur at a time when surgeries are closed, for example at the weekend or on a public holiday.
- The symptoms must be ones with which patients would normally visit a doctor in a surgery.
- In addition, treatment cannot wait until the next day for medical reasons.
The following emergency services exist:
If urgent medical help is needed outside of normal opening hours of doctors' surgeries, the medical on-call service can help.
Examples of illnesses that can be treated by the medical on-call service include:
- cold with a fever higher than 39 °C
- persistent diarrhoea and sickness with insufficient fluid intake
- severe sore throat or earache
- acute urinary tract infections
- acute back pain
- acute abdominal pain
Telephone: 116 117 (free from mobiles and landlines)
For more information, visit: https://www.116117.de
There is a paediatrician on-call service at the University Hospital, especially for children.
Universitätsmedizin Rostock
Kinder- und Jugendklinik
Ernst-Heydemann-Straße 8, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)180 5868 222 457
For more information, visit: https://kinderklinik.med.uni-rostock.de/bereitschaftsdienst
For urgent cases outside of regular opening hours (e.g. if medication is needed), the emergency pharmacy service runs an alternating service among local pharmacies. Which pharmacy is on emergency duty is indicated on the doors or windows of the pharmacies. There is also an online search function: www.aponet.de
Telephone (from mobile): 228 33 (0.69 EUR/min)
Telephone (from landline): +49 (0)137 888 228 33 (free)
For urgent cases outside of regular opening hours, the emergency dental service runs an alternating service among local dentists. Which dental practice is on emergency duty is listed on the website of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian Dental Association: https://www.zaekmv.de/patienten/notfalldienstsuche
The toxic substances emergency hotline offers advice and help in cases of poisoning.
Telephone: +49 (0)361 5868 730 730
For more information, visit: https://www.ggiz-erfurt.de/notfall.html
For acute, potentially even life-threatening emergencies, the emergency number 112 can be dialled for the emergency services in Germany. This is valid throughout Europe (and often worldwide). Such emergencies include:
- signs of a heart attack (severe chest pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat)
- signs of a stroke (impaired vision and speech, symptoms of paralysis)
- accidents involving severe injuries/high blood loss
- fainting/loss of consciousness
- allergic shock (anaphylaxis)
- severe pain
- severe burns
- asthma attack (paroxysmal shortness of breath)
If you are unsure whether the condition is or could become life-threatening, dial 112.1
1 https://www.malteser.de/aware/hilfreich/notrufnummern-in-deutschland-das-musst-du-wissen.html
There are two hospitals in the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock. The emergency departments of the two hospitals treat seriously and acutely ill patients.
Klinikum Südstadt Rostock
Notaufnahme (Emergency Room)
Südring 81
18059 Rostock
Telephone: +49 (0)381 4401 4010
www.kliniksued-rostock.de
Universitätsklinikum Rostock
Notaufnahme
Schillingallee 35
18057 Rostock
Telephone: +49 (0)381 4940
www.med.uni-rostock.de
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about medical care or would like support in finding a doctor.
Learning German
Here you will find an illustrated dictionary on the subject of health.