In acute emergencies – for example with sudden severe pain, breathing difficulties or a very high temperature – you should get medical help as soon as possible.

Emergency service, tel. 112

In life-threatening situations (e.g. serious breathing difficulties as a result of COVID-19, serious chest pain that could indicate a heart attack or symptoms suggesting a stroke) you can contact the emergency service by calling 112.

Medical standby service / Medical emergency practices, tel. 116 117

Calling 116117 connects you to the standby service of the independent medical practitioners (Bereitschaftsdienst der niedergelassenen Ärzte). If you have an illness you would normally go to your doctor about, the standby service can arrange contact with medical emergency practices and provides quick out-of-hours help when treatment can’t be delayed until the next weekday.

Appointment services

If you want to see a specialist as soon as possible, the appointment services run by the KVs (regional medical associations) may be able to help. When you use appointment services, you should be aware that you will likely not be able to choose which doctor you see and you may also need to travel further.

Important Information

Some people avoid attending appointments at the hospital or doctor’s practice for fear of catching COVID-19. From a medical point of view, though, postponing or cancelling necessary appointments or check-ups for fear of infection does not make sense. In emergencies it can be essential to get help as quickly as possible but check-ups shouldn’t be postponed either.

If in doubt, you should call the hospital or doctor’s practice and ask whether an appointment is possible and how you can best protect yourself from infection while there.

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