Medical Care and Emergency Numbers

• Fire department, ambulance service 112: in case of serious accidents, chest pain (heart attack), difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, paralysis and acute pain
• Police 110: in case of immediate danger to self or others, traffic accidents, crime
• Medical on-call service 116 117: in case of serious illness outside of your doctor’s office hours
• Poison control centre 0551 19240: in case of serious illness outside of your doctor’s office hours
• Emergency pharmacy service 0800 0022833

You can call 110 and 112 free of charge from any German telephone or mobile phone, even without a SIM card or PIN number. You do not have to dial an area code. These numbers are valid throughout Germany. If you are calling from an international mobile phone, you must also use the country code prefix 0049 for Germany.

If you want to contact the police but it is not an emergency, contact the Göttingen Police Headquarters: Groner Landstrasse 51, 37081 Göttingen, Phone 0551 - 491-0.

In Germany, you only go to the hospital in an emergency or if you urgently need a doctor outside of regular office hours (emergency outpatient clinic). If it is not an emergency, contact your family doctor or, if necessary, a specialist directly. Research contact details of Göttingen doctors online.

The Welcome Centre can help you find doctors in Göttingen who speak English or other languages.

If you urgently need a doctor at night, during the weekend or on public holidays, contact the Göttingen city emergency service centre (Notdienstzentrale ) or the medical on-call service (116 117).

If you have an acute toothache outside the opening hours of your dentist, please contact the emergency service of registered dentists.

In Germany, medicines (including painkillers) are only sold in pharmacies.

Some medicines require a prescription – you can only get these medicines with a prescription from a doctor. The legal rules for writing prescriptions are very strict in Germany. Many medicines, such as antibiotics, which you might be able to buy in normal shops in your home country, have to be prescribed by a doctor in Germany. However, some less potent medicines, such as headache tablets or mild fever-reducing drugs, are available in pharmacies without a prescription.

Opening hours

Pharmacies are open during normal business hours (weekdays 09:00 to 18:00; Saturdays 09:00 to 13:00), in the city centre or in shopping centres, sometimes a bit longer). At night and on weekends, there is always a pharmacy open (emergency service pharmacy). You can find the current emergency service pharmacy (Notdienstapotheke) here or on the emergency service schedule posted in the pharmacy shop window.

Payment of costs

If you have German statutory health insurance, your health insurance will cover the costs of prescription medicines. You only have to pay a small co-payment at the pharmacy. Medicines for children are available without co-payment.

If you have private health insurance, you pay the pharmacy the full price of the medicine and then submit the receipt and prescription to your health insurance company for reimbursement.

In Germany, you only go to the hospital if there is an emergency, if there is an acute and urgent need for treatment outside the regular office hours or if a doctor has referred you to hospital for further treatment. All hospitals (Krankenhäuser) are open to all insured patients. Some private clinics (Privatkliniken) only treat privately insured patients.

If you are going to a hospital for a planned visit, bring your insurance card, your doctor’s referral slip and medical documents (vaccination records, list of allergies, prior medical records, etc) with you. Also take important telephone numbers, some money, a nightgown or pyjamas, towels and toiletries with you. Your health insurance will cover the costs of accommodation and treatment. Patients with statutory health insurance pay a small flat rate for the first 28 days of their stay in hospital. Depending on your health insurance (statutory or private), you will be given a single or double room.

Hospitals that have an emergency outpatient clinic:

Universitätsklinikum/University hospital
Robert-Koch-Str. 40
37075 Göttingen
Phone: 0551 / 39-8605

Evangelisches Krankenhaus Weende e.V.
An der Lutter 24
37083 Göttingen
Phone: 0551 / 51 79 90

You can find more hospitals here.