Day 204: At the doctor’s

Although the second semester started this week, I’ve only managed to attend a couple of classes because I’m really ill. I’ve had a fever for three days and tonsils swollen like fists. When you move to another country, the one thing you most hope for is not having to see a doctor, because it’s a hassle: How much will they charge me? Who pays for the medicines? How do I explain to the doctor that I’m allergic to antibiotics?

I’d tried to avoid going to the doctor, thinking I’d get better on my own, but this morning I couldn’t speak, cough, or drink, and even breathing was a huge effort. So I decided to go. When you enrol at the university, they also make you take out health insurance with a company called AOK, but the proof of insurance they give you is kept by the university. I was so ill I didn’t have the strength to go and ask for another, so I just went with my European Health Insurance Card (the replacement for the old E-111).

When I got to the doctor’s (only 50 metres from my flat), they told me they couldn’t see me because it was 11:45 and they closed at 12:00. Ah! First I should explain that here there are no health centres – doctors have their own private surgeries, you go there, and then they sort things out directly with your insurance. When they said they couldn’t see me, I asked the receptionist, with my hoarse voice and my appalling German, what I could do, where I could find a doctor open at that time, and whether they would accept just the European card. I must have looked absolutely pitiful, because she agreed to let the doctor see me.

And that’s when the paperwork started! First they asked for the European card and my ID, then you have to pay €10 (only the first time), sign a declaration stating you haven’t come to Germany just to receive treatment, and sign a few more papers for the insurance. Even before taking my blood pressure, the doctor made me sign another form…

After examining me, she said I had the flu and gave me two boxes of tablets (free of charge): one of paracetamol and one of acetylcysteine. She wrote me a medical note for my practicals and told me to come back on Friday to see if I was any better.

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