Emergency clinics open on public holidays and between Christmas and New Year

View of a treatment room in a doctor's surgery. (Archive image)

Medical assistance is also available in Berlin on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

The KV emergency clinics for adults and children are open from 9 am to 9 pm on almost every day between 24 December and 1 January. Only on 29 and 30 December are the emergency clinics for children and young people closed. On these days, the opening hours for adults are slightly shorter, from 10 am to 6 pm, as can be seen on the website of the Berlin Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV).

Emergency clinics relieve pressure on emergency services

Insured persons could turn to these practices in emergencies, thereby also relieving the burden on hospital emergency departments. In Berlin, there are six KV emergency practices for adults and five for children and adolescents. The medical on-call service is available around the clock and free of charge on 116 117. During peak times, there may be longer waiting times during the holidays, it was said.

Contact the medical on-call service in case of flu, fever or vomiting

When should you dial 116 117? The KV Berlin recommends: "The rule of thumb is: if you have an illness that you would normally see a GP about, but for medical reasons cannot wait until the next day, then the medical on-call service is responsible." This would be the case, for example, with flu, fever or vomiting. For emergencies and life-threatening cases, the emergency services should be called on 112.