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Hi, I’m English with a British passport, 59, 70% handicapped, but still working self-employed, living in Germany since 30 years and single. I have a serious problem in that I am very ill since quite a few years. The medical system in Germany is very different to that in England and I am having great trouble to get a correct diagnosis that explains my present symptoms and getting a suitable treatment. Without this I am unable to get any help to manage everything. Everything goes at such a slow pace and I am getting worried that before this is finalized I will have lost all of my business.
Can anyone help me by giving me information about how the system is now in the UK? I am so worried about my situation that I am thinking of flying to the UK and going into a hospital. However, I don’t know what would happen then. I would not have any residential address for the UK, no friends or family there to stay with. How is it when you go into the emergency for treatment? Do you have to wait for an appointment before you can get a bed? Also, all my medical paperwork and examinations that I have is in German.
I would be very grateful for any information that anyone may be able to give me on this problem.
I am also planning to phone the NHS and to try to get information that way. I did already contact a web side Age Concern, but no one there wrote back with any advice.
Thank you
I believe access to the NHS is based on residence rather than citizenship. Non-residents are only allowed to use it for accidents and emergency and are charged for any hospital procedures. Your best bet may be to go private in Germany to speed things up. Alternately, you could consider going to countries like India which permit medical tourism and have many well trained doctors and surgeons. Worth investigating I think.
I believe access to the NHS is based on residence rather than citizenship. Non-residents are only allowed to use it for accidents and emergency and are charged for any hospital procedures. Your best bet may be to go private in Germany to speed things up. Alternately, you could consider going to countries like India which permit medical tourism and have many well trained doctors and surgeons. Worth investigating I think.
That is so, but the UK is obliged to treat citizens of other EU member States in the same manner as it treats its own, the OP is a resident of Germany, (I assume) he pays into die Kasse and (even if there were any charges) his EU medical card would cover the costs.
As for getting into hospital as a non-emergency patient, it might be quicker in Germany.
It all depends on how urgent your medical condition is. If the NHS considers it more urgent than the German insurance, you'll get faster treatment there.
I believe access to the NHS is based on residence rather than citizenship. Non-residents are only allowed to use it for accidents and emergency and are charged for any hospital procedures. Your best bet may be to go private in Germany to speed things up. Alternately, you could consider going to countries like India which permit medical tourism and have many well trained doctors and surgeons. Worth investigating I think.
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Thank you for your reply
"Your best bet may be to go private in Germany to speed things up"
Cancelling the normal insurance and going into the private is not such a good idea because of the immense added costs, and the fact that if I did I would not be able to ever return to the normal insurance again. Here in Germany this normal insurance is paid every month to an insurance company, it is not a state insurance as in England.
Do you happen to have any information about the Indian medical system, or the medical tourism there?
Last edited by CM100; 04-09-2011 at 12:15 PM..
Reason: adding something more
That is so, but the UK is obliged to treat citizens of other EU member States in the same manner as it treats its own, the OP is a resident of Germany, (I assume) he pays into die Kasse and (even if there were any charges) his EU medical card would cover the costs.
As for getting into hospital as a non-emergency patient, it might be quicker in Germany.
It is not that I can’t get into hospital; I have been in 5 different hospitals since 2009. The problem is “I think” the system here. One used to have one stay in hospital and then different departments sent in a doctor for a consultant appointment. This just doesn’t seem to happen anymore. When I am discharged often I am given the advice to come back stationary to the same hospital, but in another department. This has happened in three different hospitals so far. This seems to me only a method to charge the medical insurance for more days in the hospital. It doesn’t cost me anymore than the daily hospital charge, but I have the double loss of time and income over and over again.
The most important fact for me personally is the time that all this is taking, and I just have not got that much “working” time left.
Because taxes are rising and public spending is being cut. We can't afford to treat everyone who turns up at Heathrow.
After all, the o.p. is a British national, not just anybody.
I am amazed how the British system/government often treats their own nationals once they are no longer resident, i.e. just like any foreigners.
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