When you are sick or not feeling well, go see a doctor. Illness has no negative influence on your asylum application.

Doctors in Germany have a duty of confidentiality and are prohibited from sharing information about you in general.

Coronavirus

Here you can find current information on the coronavirus:

More information on quarantine (Quarantäne) here (in German, English, Arabic, Farsi, Russian):

Here you can find information on different coronavirus vaccines:

Here you can find information for Hamburg:

At the Ankunftszentrum (arrival centre)

At the Ankunftszentrum (arrival centre) in Rahlstedt you will initially be examined and tested for coronavirus.

If your test result is positive and you are showing symptoms, you will be brought to a hospital and receive medical treatment.

Otherwise you will be brought to another accomodation for quarantine (Quarantäne) after the test. Here, you will be isolated in a room alone or with your family and separate from other refugees for several days. This happens in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, it is possible that you are accommodated separately from family members who tested positive.

After quarantine (Quarantäne) you will come back to the Ankunftszentrum in Rahlstedt. If you are not distributed to another Bundesland (federal state), your initial medical examination (medizinische Erstuntersuchung) will take place at Bargkoppelstieg 10-14. An X-Ray examination (Röntgenuntersuchung), blood test and a short physical examination are part of this. The examination is important in order to detect and treat infectious diseases. You can have different vaccinations here.

Women can ask for a female doctor.

Medical care will be provided at the Ankunftszentrum. The employees of the Ankunftszentrum can also fill out a form (Behandlungsschein) for you. With this form you can go to a doctor, emergency service or hospital within the next 24 hours.

You can find more information on the asylum procedure here: https://we-inform.de/portal/en/asylum/

Help with Sickness for Ukrainian refugees (at the arrival center or in private accomodation) 

As long as you are not officially registered in Germany, you can get a treatment certificate at the Arrival Center Rahlstedt (Bargkoppelweg 66a). With this you can go to the doctor within 24 hours. In an emergency, however, you can also go to the hospital without a treatment certificate. You will need to show your Ukrainian identity document there. The costs will be covered.  

  

You generally have to take out health insurance in Germany in order to receive medical care. You can choose a health insurance company. An overview with health insurances can be found here: https://www.gkv-spitzenverband.de/service/krankenkassenliste/krankenkassen.jsp?filter=6#krankenkassen. Children under the age of 15 must be registered with the health insurance company. They are co-insured free of charge. The health insurance company usually provides you with a temporary membership certificate after registration. The health insurance company will then send you an electronic health card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte). With the electronic health card you can go see a doctor.  

 As a refugee from Ukraine, you can receive financial assistance if your income and assets are not sufficient for living expenses. You can find more information here: https://we-inform.de/portal/de/finanzielle-unterstuetzung/.    

If you are a refugee from Ukraine and want to receive benefits from the Job Center, you need to get health insurance. You will need to obtain a temporary membership certificate from the health insurance company you have chosen. This certificate will be needed when you visit the Jobcenter.  

If you have fled from Ukraine and are not able to work, you will receive medical care for the first month with a treatment certificate. You can get this either from the social management in your accommodation or from the Social Security Office (Fachamt für Grundsicherung und Soziales, Fachamt für Grundsicherung und Soziales). Which Basic Security Office is responsible for you depends on your current place of residence. Click on the following link to find the responsible Basic Security Office:   

English: https://www.hamburg.com/publicservice/info/11939241/n0/ (search term: “Social assistance, basic security in old age and in the event of permanent disability”), then enter the street of your residence and in the next step the house number.    

German: https://www.hamburg.de/behoerdenfinder/info/11258228/n0/ (search term: “Sozialhilfe, Grundsicherung im Alter und in the event of permanent disability”), then enter the street of your place of residence and in the next step the house number.   

As soon as you have received your Fictional Certificate, you may also register with the health insurance fund. The social security office will pay for it.  

If you have fled from Ukraine and do not receive any state support, you can insure yourself with the voluntary public health insurance or, if you have a certain income, with a private health insurance as well. 

Help with illness at the initial reception centre (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung) and at the secondary accommodation (Folgeunterkunft)

Medical consultation is available at the initial reception centre (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung, EA). You will receive free medical treatment there and get a referral, if necessary. Asylum applicants in Hamburg are insured by the AOK Bremen/Bremerhaven. You do not need to register yourself, the initial reception centre (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung) will take care of it.

At the initial reception centre (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung), you will receive a “certificate for presentation to the attending physician” („Bescheinigung zur Vorlage beim behandelnden Arzt“) and later an electronic health card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte, eGK). You can go to the doctor with the certificate or the health card. Treatment is generally free.

With the health card you can still go to doctors when you are living at a secondary accommodation (Folgeunterkunft). You will be insured by the AOK Bremen/Bremerhaven until you receive a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) or after 18 months in Germany. You then get a notification and can choose your own health insurance.

Doctors

You can find a booklet that explains the German healthcare system here: https://www.hamburg.de/altona/gesundheitsversorgung-broschueren/

In Germany there are various types of doctors. The treating doctors can be both men and women. A Hausarzt (general practitioner) is responsible for your overall health. A Kinderarzt (paediatrician) is responsible for children. If you have problems with your teeth, you go to a Zahnarzt (dentist). A Frauenarzt (gynaecologist) is specifically responsible for women (including during pregnancy). Always arrange an appointment in advance!

You can search for doctors yourself here:
https://www.kvhh.net/de/physicianfinder.html

https://arztsuche.kbv.de/pages/arztsuche.xhtml

You can also find doctors here that speak your language. Otherwise, most doctors speak English. If you do not speak German or English, you will likely need an interpreter!

For people from Ukraine, here is an overview of practices where someone speaks Ukrainian, Russian or Polish: https://www.kvhh.net/de/patienten/ukrainische-fluechtlinge.html 

You can find a dictionary with the most important terms here: www.aqqkowuysp.cloudimg.io/v7/_auirp_/downloads/04/2/4/3/6/5/AU_Bilderwoerterbuch_Gesundheit_franz_arab.pdf?func=proxy (English, French and Arabic) and here: www.aqqkowuysp.cloudimg.io/v7/_auirp_/downloads/04/2/4/3/6/5/AU_Bilderwoerterbuch_Gesundheit_urdu_farsi_neu.pdf?func=proxy (Urdu and Farsi).

and here: https://aqqkowuysp.cloudimg.io/v7/_auirp_/downloads/04/2/4/3/6/5/Flyer_Schmerzen_Sympt_engl_russ_ukr-2.pdf?func=proxy (Russian and Ukrainian). 

Ukrainians:inside with cancer can be referred for treatment through this form: German: https://www.uke.de/kliniken-institute/zentren/universit%C3%A4res-cancer-center-hamburg-(ucch)/contact-form-ukraine.html , English: https://www.uke.de/english/departments-institutes/centers/university-cancer-center-hamburg-(ucch)—hubertus-wald-tumor-center/contact-form-ukraine.html 

Vaccination

Vaccination is very important for disease prevention, especially for children.

Factsheets on vaccines (in German): Faktenblätter RKI

Information on different vaccines in several languages (for example English, Arabic, Dari, Kurmanji, Russian, Tigrinya): Click on the vaccine you want to learn more about (caption “Impfaufklärung”) and look for the PDF in your language –  https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Impfen/Materialien/materialien_fremdsprachig_inhalt.html

Information for parents on diseases that can be prevented by vaccination: https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/162301/Vaccine-preventable_DE_WHO_1proof.pdf

You can find Information in Ukrainian on vaccines and infectious diseases here: https://www.infektionsschutz.de/uk/mediathek/materiali-ukrajinskoju/?fbclid=IwAR1KfwHsMhdEc8p5SrB5beGe_gs5IbPcXz8-9cuC6vUfBLcAdphCoXcmn7A 

Pharmacies

You can get drugs from a pharmacy. You will need a prescription from a doctor for many drugs. Necessary drugs are mostly free with a prescription. In an emergency, you can also collect them at night or at the weekend.

Non-prescription medical products (such as plasters) can also be obtained at a Drogerie (chemist).

Information (for example in Ukrainian): https://medwatch.de/2022/03/06/%d0%b0%d0%bf%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%ba%d0%b0-%d0%b4%d0%b5-%d0%b2%d0%b8-%d0%bc%d0%be%d0%b6%d0%b5%d1%82%d0%b5-%d0%be%d1%82%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%bc%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%b8-%d0%bb%d1%96%d0%ba%d0%b8/.

You can search for pharmacies yourself here:
www.aponet.de/service/apotheke-finden.html

Emergencies

If you become ill at night, at the weekend or on a public holiday, in urgent cases you can visit an emergency practice (Notfallpraxis).

If you are unable to go to an emergency practice, there are doctors who provide medical advice over the phone and also come to your place to examine you (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst).

The emergency departments of hospitals (Notaufnahme) are available for emergencies and accidents. You should expect to have to wait here.

Only if the situation is life-threatening, you should call the emergency services (Rettungsdienst).

In an emergency, doctors are obligated to treat you. It does not matter if you have proper documentation and a health insurance or not.

Emergency practices (Notfallpraxis) 

You can find an overview of all emergency practices (Notfallpraxis) and special emergency medical services for children (Kinderärztlicher Notfalldienst) here: www.kvhh.net/de/patienten/arztruf-hamburg.html

You can see which practice is closest to you and currently open here: https://arztruf-hamburg.de/de/notfallpraxis-suche.html

  • Emergency practice in Wandsbek (Bundeswehrkrankenhaus, German army hospital): Lesserweg 180
    Monday to Friday 6 pm – 12 am (midnight), Wednesday 1 pm – 12 am (midnight), Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 8 am – 12 am (midnight)
  • Emergency practice in Altona: Stresemannstraße 54
    Monday to Friday 7 pm – 12 am (midnight), Wednesday 1 pm – 12 am (midnight), Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 7 am – 12 am (midnight)

Emergency medical assistance (Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) 

Hamburg: +49 40 228022

When you call, you will hear an automated announcement. First, you need to choose why you are calling. Select 1 for medical assistance (medizinische Hilfe) or 3 for other services.

Germany: 116117

First, you need to choose why you are calling. For medical assistance, select 2, for all requests concerning the coronavirus select 1. Next, you need to enter your postal code and you will be forwarded.

Emergency Services (Rettungsdienst)

In an emergency you can call the emergency service (Rettungsdienst). Always say your name, where you are and what has happened. Wait for questions! An ambulance will collect injured people, no matter where they are.

  • Emergency Service (Rettungsdienst) phone number: 112
Help without paper

If you do not have a certificate or health insurance card, you will receive medical aid from these advice centres. If you do not speak German or English, bring an interpreter with you! Advice is normally anonymous.

  • Medibüro Hamburg: Hospitalstraße 109
    +49 40 238558322, every first and third Monday of a month: 3pm – 5pm
  • Praxis ohne Grenzen: Fangdieckstraße 53
    +49 40 69455910, Wednesday 12 pm – 5 pm
  • Migrantenmedizin Westend: Vogelhüttendeich 17
    +49 40 75666401, consultation: Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm, please come at the beginning of the consultation, consultations for children every 4th Wednesday of the month 9 am – 11 am, please make an appointment: +49 40 75666401 (Monday to Thursday 9am – 3:30pm), westend@hoffnungsorte-hamburg.de, https://hoffnungsorte-hamburg.de/die-hoffnungsorte/westend-open-med/

You can get advice on your health insurance status (Krankenversicherung) here and if necessary, you will be referred to doctors who can treat you:

Flüchtlingszentrum – Clearingstelle zur medizinischen Beratung von Ausländern: niethammer@fz-hh.de, +49 40 28 40 79 123 (Monday 9 am – 1 pm, Thursday 9 am – 1 pm und 3 pm – 5 pm), please make an appointment before

Trauma and mental stress

If you have seen and experienced many bad things, you can carry these experiences with you and they can change you. If you feel overwhelmed by memories or suffer from anxiety, you should seek help. Psychotherapists or psychiatrists are responsible for this. You can visit them with your certificate or health insurance card. There are further free programmes, especially for children.

You can find help here (even without papers or registration):

  • Centra: Heidenkampsweg 97, please make an appointment (in German, English, Farsi or Arabic): info@centra.hamburg, +49 40 23205220, contact form: www.centra.hamburg/kontakt/, www.centra.hamburg/angebot/uebersicht/ Centra finds therapy places for Ukrainian refugees +49 40 23 20 522 22 (German and Russian, Monday 2 pm bis 5 pm und Friday 9 am bis 12 pm)
  • haveno health centre St. Pauli: Seewartenstraße 10
    +49 40 31793535, arrange an appointment by phone by leaving a message in your native language on the answering machine. Give your name and your phone number. You will be called back, www.haveno.de
  • Lichtpunkt e.V.: Ehrenbergstraße 69, please make an appointment: info@lichtpunkt.org, +49 40 764 816 84 (Monday to Friday 9 am – 1 pm). Interpreters are available upon request.
  • Counselling (Psychosoziale Beratung) by Diakonie Hamburg: Königstraße 54, please make an appointment: +49 40 30620 361 (Monday and Wednesday: 10am – 12pm, Thursday: 2pm – 4pm), psb-flucht@diakonie-hamburg.de. Languages: German, English, interpreters are also available upon request

Various psychosocial counseling services are available online for Ukrainians: 

  • Psychosocial counseling in Ukrainian: https://malteser.ipso-care.com or in the Ipso app with the code “malteser”. You can book an appointment for a consultation 

Especially for young asylum seekers there are further free programs. You can find help for traumatised children and young people here:

  • A guide for parents who want to help their children: www.bptk.de/wie-helfe-ich-meinem-traumatisierten-kind/
  • Refugees outpatient department for children and young people of the UKE: Martinistraße 52, +49 40 47193080 (Monday to Thursday 9 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 6 pm, Friday 9 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 4 pm), fluechtlingsambulanz@uke.de, www.uke.de/mvz/fluechtlingsambulanz, telephone consultation in Ukrainian: +49 (0) 152 228 15335 (Tuesday 10 to 11 a.m. and Thursday 2 to 3 p.m.)
  • Ankerland Trauma: Löwenstraße 60, please make an appointment: +49 40 468639625 (Tuesday 10 am – 1 pm, Thursday 9 am – 12 pm (noon)), www.ankerland.de/therapiezentrum/infos-f-pot-patienten/
  • Services for Ukrainian Children and Adolescents 
    • Helpline Ukraine: +49 800 500 225 0 – telephone counseling in Ukrainian and Russian for children, adolescents, parents and relatives; anonymous and free of charge (Monday to Friday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.) 
    • Crisischat Ukrainian: psychological counseling for children teenagers via SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram, +49 157 3599312, @krisenchatUA_bot (Telegram), languages: Russian, Ukrainian, English and German, https://krisenchat.de/ukraine 
Violence

Nobody is allowed to subject you to violence. This is a punishable crime in Germany. If you are a witness to or a victim of crime, seek out help! Contact the police or anonymously and confidentially contact an advice centre.

Domestic violence: Members of your family are not allowed to threaten or subject you to violence either.

Sexual violence: It is forbidden to force other people into sexual acts or to molest them.

You can find advice centres here:

  • SAVIA – Steps against violence
    +49 40 350177253, Monday to Wednesday 2 pm – 4 pm, Thursday and Friday 10 am – 12 pm, savia@verikom.de
    For everyone who has been subjected to violence, referral to other institutions
  • Violence against women helpline (Hilfetelefon Gewalt gegen Frauen)
    +49 8000 116016, permanently staffed.
    The female employees speak Arabic, Persian, Russian and English, among other languages.
    In German you can also seek written advice: www.hilfetelefon.de/no_cache/das-hilfetelefon/beratung/online-beratung.html
  • You can also seek protection in Hamburg’s Frauenhäusern (women’s shelters): www.hamburgerfrauenhaeuser.de; emergency number: +49 40 8000 4 1000.
Support for refugees with a disability

As a refugee with a disability you have the right to a special degree of protection (“besonders schutzbedürftig”).

You are entitled to various forms of support.

First, a doctor needs to diagnose your disability. The Versorgungsamt officially recognises the disability. In order for this to happen, you need to file a request (Antrag): Versorgungsamt Hamburg, Adolph-Schönfelder-Straße 5, versorgungsamt@soziales.hamburg.de, + 49 40 428630, www.hamburg.de/versorgungsamt/

Advice centres can advise and support you with this process. You can also find more information on the request (Antrag) here: https://www.hamburg.de/antrag-merkblaetter/83238/start

There is a differentiation between different kinds of disabilities: there are physical disabilities (for example deafness, blindness, limited mobility), intellectual disabilities and psychological disabilities. Additionally, you can differentiate by degree of disability (Grad der Behinderung). The degree tells you how many disadvantages the disabled person experiences in his or her daily life. With a degree of 50 or above, you receive a “Schwerbehindertenausweis” and thereby several advantages. For example, under certain conditions you can receive a supplement (Beiblatt) from the Versorgungsamt so that you can use public transport for free.

Ukrainians can also obtain advice from the Federal Contact Point (Bundeskontaktstelle). There, support is arranged for people with disabilities or care needs: Bundeskontaktstelle@drk.de +49 30 854 04 789, languages: Russian and German 

(Tuesday to Thu from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) 

The following advice centres can support you:

  • ZuFlucht Lebenshilfe: Stresemannstraße 163, please make an appointment: emna.lourimi@lhhh.de, +49 1590 4245167 (Monday to Friday 9 am – 1 pm), website with contact form: https://zf.lhhh.de/
  • Autonom Leben e.V.: Langenfelder Straße 35, please make an appointment: info@autonomleben.de , +49 40 334691110 (Monday and Tuesday: 10am – 6pm), http://www.autonomleben.de/
    Please notify in advance if you need someone to interpret for you. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is possible that consultations will take place via video conference.

Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB): 

Advice centre by Fördern & Wohnen for refugees with a disability who live at initial reception centres (Erstaufnahmeeinrichtung) or secondary accommodations (Folgeunterkunft): Kurt-Schumacher-Allee 4, 9. Etage, please make an appointment: teilhabe_gefluechtete@foerdernundwohnen.de , +49 40 280044940, https://www.foerdernundwohnen.de/unterkuenfte/beratung/beratung-fuer-gefluechtete-mit-chronischer-erkrankung-und-behinderung

You can also make an appointment via the Sozialmanagement (social management team) of your accommodation.

Furthermore, there are different advice centres for different kinds of disabilities:

  • Deafness or hardness of hearing: Gehörlosenverband Hamburg e.V., Bernadottestraße 126, counselling online (Zoom/Skype/FaceTime), please make an appointment: beratung@glvhh.de, https://www.glvhh.de/unsere-angebote/sozialberatung/, Counseling hours for Ukrainian people: Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Tuesday with translation into Russian sign language) 
  • Psychological disabilities: Seelische Gesundheit Migration und Flucht e.V. (SEGEMI), Ferdinandstraße 36, 5th floor, info@segemi.org , + 49 40 30090101, http://www.segemi.org/
  • Blindness or visual impairment: Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein Hamburg, Holsteinischer Kamp 26, info@bsvh.org, + 49 40 20940455, https://www.bsvh.org/
    If you don’t speak German well yet, please bring someone who can interpret for you.

You can find more information on self-help groups and offers here: https://we-inform.de/portal/en/meet-citizens/

Last Updated: 12.01.2022