FAQ Medical aid and prevention

A family doctor/ general practitioner is usually the first point of contact for health-related issues. If you’re new to the city, you can, for example, use the doctor search on https://arztsuche.116117.de/pages/arztsuche.xhtml to find GPs. That is a website of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung.

First of all, you check in at reception with your name and your health insurance card. The practice staff will ask whether you have a booked appointment or whether you need to see the doctor at short notice, i.e. without an appointment. Appointments and referrals are usually arranged on the spot. You may then need to fill in a few questionnaires about your symptoms, previous medical conditions, allergies, etc. If you arrive at the surgery without an appointment, you may have to allow for longer waiting times, depending on the situation.

The doctor will usually ask about your symptoms right at the start of the consultation. The next step is the examination. Once the doctor has made a diagnosis, they will suggest a course of treatment, i.e. give recommendations on how to proceed and possibly prescribe medication. They will also explain how often and for how long the medication should be taken.

If the doctor makes a diagnosis that requires further treatment by another specialist, they will issue a referral form for the specialist providing further treatment. The referral form, prescriptions for medication and any therapeutic treatments (e.g. physiotherapy) will be handed over at the end of the appointment (at reception). A new appointment will also be arranged at reception, if necessary.

Doctors who also speak English or other languages can be found via the health insurance (website/telephone) or the online service of the Kassenärztlichen Bundesvereinigung  https://arztsuche.116117.de/pages/arztsuche.xhtml.

Sometimes technical aids, e.g. the app "Care to Translate", are a support in the conversation with the doctor. However, the doctor should be asked before use. Sometimes doctors have the appropriate technology themselves. As far as we know, the clinics and most of the medical practices (Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum/MVZ) belonging to the Ilm-Kreis-Kliniken and Marienstift Arnstadt have professional translation aids. It is best if the translation is already requested when making the appointment.

There are several online sources available for anyone wishing to find out more. Two of these – which provide reliable information – are as follows:

The website gesundheit-mehrsprachig.de provides detailed information on the German healthcare system, available in 15 different languages.

Another portal for information is Gesundheitsinformation.de, run by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). The website is available in German and English. 

In that case, you can contact your own health insurance provider or the GP out-of-hours service (freephone number 116117) and use their online service at eterminservice.de/terminservice. These service centres arrange appointments to see a doctor. In some cases, the service is only available for certain medical specialities. You may have to accept longer journeys, and your preferred doctor cannot be taken into account when appointments are allocated.

Your first point of contact is usually your GP. In urgent cases, however, you can also book an appointment with a specialist without a referral, with the exception of radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, radiotherapists and laboratory doctors. No referral is required for an ophthalmologist, a dentist or for preventive check-ups with, for example, a gynaecologist.

If your symptoms are so severe that you cannot wait until the next day, the out-of-hours medical service (freephone number: 116117) will tell you which doctor is currently on call and how you can get help. Even if it is not an emergency, a doctor can visit you at home if your symptoms are severely limiting your ability to cope.

Pharmacies also have an emergency service. You can find a list of which pharmacies are currently open at www.aponet.de/apotheke/notdienstsuche, for example.

You are admitted to hospital – that is, for inpatient treatment – either when your doctor refers you for further treatment. For example, if the situation is very urgent or the symptoms are very severe. You may also be taken to hospital by ambulance following an emergency call.

In the event of severe symptoms requiring urgent medical attention, you can contact the emergency services by dialling 112. Paramedics and an emergency doctor will come directly to the address provided. In most cases, you will then be taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment. A co-payment of €10 is usually charged for transport by ambulance.

An accident at work is defined as an injury sustained whilst working or studying on campus. An accident on the way to work is defined as an injury sustained whilst travelling directly to the university or to work. These accidents must be reported to the Information Centre at the ASC (Hans-Stamm Campus). The accident report form can be found on the intranet and must be submitted as soon as possible. You must also inform the doctor treating you that the injury is work-related or occurred whilst studying.

Link to the form on the intranet

Most vaccinations are administered by your GP. Before travelling abroad, you can contact the public health authority to find out about the necessary vaccinations and, if required, get vaccinated there. The Ilmenau Public Health Authority (Gesundheitsamt) is located at Krankenhausstr. 12, 98693 Ilmenau and can be contacted by telephone on 03677 6570. You must always present your personal vaccination card before receiving a vaccination. The vaccination will be recorded in it.

Students at the TU Ilmenau can contact Stefan Weniger or Sarah Loos from the Psychosocial Counselling Service of the Studierendenwerk if they have any psychological complaints. The Psychosocial Counselling Service is available on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm at the telephone number 03677 69-3813, by email to stefan.weniger@stw-thueringen.de or  sarah.loos@stw-thueringen.de. You can also use the online service for a consultation appointment: https://www.stw-thueringen.de/en/counselling/psycho-social-counselling/making-an-appointment-for-consultation/.

In addition, the family doctor/general practitioner can help with mental health problems and refer patients to appropriate services if necessary.

Tests for sexually transmitted infections can be carried out by family doctors, dermatologists, gynaecologists (women's doctors), urologists (specialists for male genital organs) and the public health office. More information on sexually transmitted diseases is available from e.g. https://www.zanzu.de/en/. Zanzu is a project and website of the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) and the Flemish Expertise Centre for Sexual Health. The BZgA also has the website https://www.liebesleben.de/en/ on the topic of sexually transmitted infections, safer sex and sexuality.

If you have any questions about contraception, your gynaecologist can help. Following a consultation and examination, women can also obtain a prescription for the appropriate method there. In most cases, you will have to pay for the contraceptive yourself.

Condoms are available without a prescription in pharmacies, chemists and supermarkets.

Further information on sexuality and pregnancy is available, for example, at https://www.zanzu.de/de/. Zanzu is both a project and a website run by the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) and the Flemish Expertise Centre for Sexual Health. The BZgA also runs the website https://www.liebesleben.de/ on the subject of sexuality and sexual health.