(Editor’s note: Dispatches is not disclosing details of the health emergency due to medical privacy concerns.)
Unfortunately, the expat life isn’t just about working in the most beautiful places in the world, eating amazing food, taking perfect pictures and traveling non-stop. Sometimes emergencies happen, and facing them in a country where you are unfamiliar with how certain things work or without a support network around you can be quite rough. This was my case some weeks ago during my vacation in Germany.
I want to share my experience with you so that, hopefully, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you’ll be able to manage things in the best way.
It is well known that the health systems of the European Union countries are facing a lot of challenges at the moment. The problems vary from country to country, but in general, they don’t have enough personnel, and the ones they do have need to work long hours to receive salaries that might not be the best. Because of that, and having heard some bad experiences of friends visiting hospitals, I tend to avoid going to such services unless I have a real emergency.
I would also like to highlight that I’m narrating my experience as a foreign person in a German hospital, but I am an EU citizen, so others’ experiences – at least concerning administrative and financial matters – might be different. Residents of a EU member state have the right to obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which guarantees free access to health care in case of emergencies in any other EU country. Since I am a Portuguese citizen, I do have this card, have used it a couple of times and everything has worked out perfectly.
The emergency number in the EU is 112
Having said that, the first thing you need to keep in mind if you ever have an emergency is that you can call 112 for free from any European Union country (plus Turkey, Switzerland, and Iceland), and you will be connected to a central hub that, upon assessing your case, will redirect it to the appropriate service: police, fire brigade, or ambulance. You can call 112 even if your phone is locked, has no SIM card, or is out of credit.
So, if there is a number you need to remember while you are in Europe, it’s 112.
The agent that took my call was really efficient and quick, as he heard I was in pain, and I was only asked about basic information such as the intensity of my symptoms and for how long I had had them, my address and if I was alone. It was very clear that I needed an ambulance, so my call wasn’t redirected, and an ambulance was sent to my address right away. Since I was in pain, I felt that it was taking ages, but it actually only took 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.
When the paramedics arrived, I told them that I didn’t speak German, and one of them started asking me questions about my symptoms in English while the other one was checking my blood pressure and temperature.
They decided I should be taken to the emergency room.
I was taken to the closest hospital, and the paramedic who spoke English sat in the back of the ambulance with me the whole time. They were even as kind as to let my sister come in the ambulance with us, even though I was told afterwards by some friends that it’s not common that they allow family members in the ambulance.
On route to the hospital in Germany
During the trip, the paramedic let me know he was there behind me if I needed anything and was asking me some questions related to my health. When we arrived, they only asked for my insurance card and filled out the forms with my information while a nurse was taking some blood samples and explaining to me what they were going to do.
I think that was actually one of the highlights of the whole visit.
I was seen by two nurses and two doctors who were really nice and completely transparent about what they were doing to me at that moment and what the next steps would be.
The fact that they were so honest made me feel comfortable and reassured me that everything was going to be okay and that I was in good hands. They also didn’t stop until they were able to find the root of my pain. Furthermore, my sister was allowed to be in the room with me the whole time, and this also played an important role in keeping me as relaxed and comfortable as possible.
Once they got a diagnosis after a couple hours, the doctor explained everything to me, sent me home, and told me to come back if I felt bad again throughout the day. I double-checked if there was anything to pay before leaving because I had several blood exams and scans done, but they confirmed that there wasn’t, as this would be covered by my insurance card, or, in other words, by the Portuguese healthcare system.
I went home after that, rested and left an amazing review on Google for the hospital because – omitting that I was in pain – I had a great experience there, and I am deeply grateful.
I was scared of being dismissed or misunderstood because of a language barrier, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Also, after hearing from some friends who have had really terrible experiences at public hospitals, having such a good experience myself was refreshing. Finally, I would really recommend every EU resident get the European Health Insurance Card, which is completely free if you are insured in your country of residence and will definitely make things go smoother in case of an emergency.
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See more about healthcare here in Dispatches’ archives.
Mónica da Silva is half-Venezuelan, half Portuguese and has lived in Venezuela, Portugal, Spain and Germany. She has studies linguistics and has a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies. Besides contributing to Dispatches, she works remotely as an English teacher, which allows her to be on the move as often as she wants.
