National emergency numbers for medical emergencies

Information about Rights & Duties of #Illness

Information about Rights & Duties

Services provided through national emergency numbers, including 112 and 116 numbers

Emergency medical service

The emergency medical service number (112) provides professional, pre-clinical medical assistance for emergency patients. This service is organised and run by the federal states and governed by state laws. Most of its funding comes from statutory health insurance.

Insured persons can call 116117, to access so-called appointment booking platforms (Terminservicestellen), which are operated 24/7 by the associations of health insurance providers . In acute cases requiring urgent care outside the emergency medical service, immediate medical care must be provided at the appropriate level (e.g. an open medical practice, an on-call medical practice, an accident and emergency department at a hospital or, where appropriate, a telephone consultation).

Further information

Responsible for the content
Federal Ministry of Health

Last update or date of publication
01.12.2022