Medical care

If you need a doctor in Germany, you can choose the medical practice you would like to go to yourself. People usually have a "family doctor", i.e. a general practitioner, to whom you go in case of illness. If necessary, you will then be referred to specialist practices by your family doctor. You will get a „Überweisung“ (referral) by your doctor.

You can also make an appointment with some specialists without a referral, for example with a gynaecologist, an ophthalmologist, a paediatrician and a dentist.

There are several ways to find a doctor. For example, you can use the "Yellow Pages" or the (online) telephone book to find doctors in Paderborn. An overview of medical practices in Paderborn can also be found here. In addition, there are various websites (unfortunately, most of them are only in German) that will help you find the right doctor:

• For instance, on the website of the „Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Westfalen-Lippe“ (KVWL), which is the Regional Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, you can search for doctors in Paderborn and the surrounding area and search for a doctor who speaks a specific foreign language, e.g. English.
• You can also find doctors and hospitals on the Internet portal www.weisse-liste.de, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung. The portal also offers information on how to prepare for a visit to the doctor and a translation service for specialist medical terms and findings.

Once you have found a doctor, it is best to call the doctor's office directly and make an appointment.

At some specialist practices it may take quite a while before you receive an appointment. Sometimes it's worth calling several doctors. If you urgently need an appointment in a specialist practice, you can contact the appointment service offered by the „Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Westfalen-Lippe“. Here, you will usually receive an appointment within four weeks.

Medical Practices are usually closed in the evening and on weekends. If you need access to healthcare during these times, you can contact the emergency medical service („Bereitschaftsdienstpraxis“) at „MediCo“ in Paderborn.

Office Hours for adults:

The paediatrician's office hours vary slightly and can be found on the website. You do not need an appointment.

If the „MediCo“ is also closed, you can either call the nationwide number 116 117 or have a look online in order to find the out-of-hours service in your area.

If it is a dental emergency, you can find the emergency care dental service by calling 01805/986 700 or by having a look online.

In case of a life-threatening situation, you should dial 112 or go directly to a hospital.

Emergency numbers:

If you need a pharmacy outside regular opening hours, you can find the pharmacy providing emergency service online or call 0800 00 22 8 33 (free of charge from the landline, chargeable from your mobile phone). In every pharmacy’s window you can also see which pharmacy offers out-of-hours service.  

If you have  a statutory health insurance, you will receive a health insurance card („Gesundheitskarte“) which you must show at the doctor’s practice. The services provided will then be billed directly to the health insurance company and you will not incur any costs.

Sometimes doctors may offer you so-called "IGeL" services. These are medical services which are not covered by health plans and you have to pay for them yourself. Your doctor will inform you about this in detail in advance and you can then decide whether you want to have these individual services.

Other additional services, such as dental prostheses, are not or not fully covered by the statutory health insurance. However, you will also be informed about this in detail in advance of the treatment.

If you are insured through a private health insurance company, you may first receive the invoice for the services provided and then have to submit the invoice to your health insurance company. For more information, please contact your health insurance company.

Unlike in many other countries, in Germany, medications are only available in pharmacies.

If you have  a statutory health insurance, the following guidelines apply to you:

Some medications, such as pain killers, can be bought freely at pharmacies. You must pay for the cost of these over-the-counter medicines yourself.

If you need prescription medicine, you will get a prescription from your doctor and then have to go to a pharmacy. The costs are covered by your health insurance but you must make a statutory co-payment. The personal contribution to be paid is 10 percent of the medication’s price, with a minimum of five and a maximum of ten euros. If a medication costs less than five euros, you must pay the full costs.

If you have private health insurance, there may be different regulations. If you have any questions, it is best to directly contact your health insurance company.