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Health care in Germany

Germany's health care system is creaking as medical professionals are insufficient for an aging population.

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All Content on this topic

Christian Witt

COPD – an incurable respiratory disease

Dr. Christian Witt discusses the causes of COPD and therapies for treating it.
HealthNovember 10, 2016
Kinder Gewalt Symbolbild

Model project for pedophiles saved

When a Berlin hospital started a project to help pedophiles, people were skeptical.
HealthOctober 25, 2016
Ausländische Ärzte in Deutschland Munzer Shekho

German foreign doctors' system 'too bureaucratic'

Doctors from conflict zones often do not have the papers to prove their qualifications in Germany. Jenny Witt reports.
HealthSeptember 30, 2016
Deutschland Stempel Abgeschoben Symbolbild

German deportation practices

Tougher rules in Germany mean more deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
September 22, 2016
Griechenland Unbegleitete Jugendliche Flüchtlinge

Refugee age tests criticized

German doctors and charities criticize medical tests to determine whether a young refugees is an adult or a child.
September 12, 2016
Bundesinnenminister Thomas de Maiziere (CDU)

Germany to deport migrant criminals faster

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere reacted to recent violent incidents in Germany with new security measures.
August 11, 2016
Untersuchung Arzt Patient

'Dangerous debate,' warn German doctors

Doctors opposed rumored plans to weaken patient confidentiality, in response to recent attacks and a plane crash.
August 10, 2016
Irland Referendum Homo-Ehe Katholische Kirche

Doctor sacked from Catholic clinic for remarrying

Germany's top labor court has deferred a decision on whether a doctor was wrongfully dismissed by a Catholic clinic.
Law and JusticeJuly 28, 2016
Niels H.

Convicted German nurse suspected of more deaths

The former nurse who made headlines for killing patients is now suspected of further crimes.
June 22, 2016
Flughafen Leipzig-Halle Abschiebung abgelehnter Asylbewerber OVERLAY

Interior minister slammed for censuring doctors

Germany's interior minister has been widely criticized for his stance on deportees who need medical treatment.
June 19, 2016
Germanwings Flug 4U 9525 Neuer Bericht

Pilot's doctor sued over Germanwings crash

A German man has filed a suit against the physician of suicidal pilot Andreas Lubitz for not reporting his depression.
June 6, 2016
Senior citizen in a nursing home

Germany battles care home fraud after mafia scandal

The German health care system is uniquely fertile ground for swindlers, according to a patient protection foundation.
May 24, 2016
Schwangerschaft - Arbeiten

Cabinet approves additional maternity protection

A proposed law extending the rights of pregnant women and nursing mothers has been approved by the German government.
May 4, 2016
Pflegefirma in Berlin Polizei Razzia Pflegebetrug

Berlin police cracks down on house care scam

German authorities have conducted a series of raids targeting patients and nurses suspected of fraud.
April 21, 2016
Holding hands

Care billing scam

The Russian mafia is linked to widespread billing scams in the German nursing service system.
April 18, 2016
Computer screen in a hospital environment (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Wiedl)

Cyber attack on hospitals

Several hospitals in Germany have come under attack by ransomware - a type of virus that locks files and demands ransom.
February 25, 2016
Mothers nurse their babies during a flash mob protest to promote breastfeeding (photo: EPA/LAURENT GILLIERON +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++)

Row over breastfeeding

A woman who says she wasn't allowed to breastfeed her baby in a cafe has started a petition for a nursing law.
February 24, 2016
Deutschland Medizinische Versorgung Flüchtlinge

'I have never seen such suffering'

A doctor is rekindling belief that Germany can manage its refugee crisis by sharing details from his work with migrants.
January 31, 2016
Aachen Prozess Krankenpfleger

Nurses on trial for degrading selfies

Five nurses are on trial for taking degrading pictures of helpless patients in Aachen in Germany.
January 12, 2016
Symbolbild, nursing home

Germany passes biggest care reforms in two decades

The German Bundestag has passed the second stage of the country's Care Reform with a coalition majority.
November 13, 2015
Berlin Protestaktion gegen Krankenhausreform

German medical workers oppose reform bid

Thousands of doctors and nurses took to the streets of Berlin in protest of the government's newr eform bid.
September 23, 2015
German doctor talking to African patient

Healthcare in Germany

Once in Germany, you can see a doctor. Initially, only emergencies are covered, later you get health insurance.
September 21, 2015
Kos

Migrants suffer in Kos center

On the Greek island of Kos, the EU welcomes migrants with few toilets and hourslong waits under the blazing sun.
August 14, 2015
Deutschland Asylsuchende in Berlin

Disease control

Medical treatment for children has often proved to be a major challenge for pediatricians in Germany, says pediatrician
August 13, 2015
Tabletten Pillen Medikamente

Germany clamps down on medical corruption

The German government plans to pass a law tackling illegal deals between doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
July 29, 2015
Symbolbild Organspende Transplantation

Organ transplant doctor acquitted

A German doctor has been found not guilty in an organ transplant case.
May 6, 2015
Andreas Lubitz, Germanwings Pilot

Lufthansa doctors recommended treatment for Lubitz

A German newspaper has reported that Lufthansa doctors had recommended psychological treatment for Andreas Lubitz.
April 12, 2015
Klinikum Bamberg Bayern

Head physician from German hospital in court for rape

The former surgeon is said to have attacked at least two coworkers in addition to the 10 patients.
April 7, 2015
Frankreich Absturz Germanwings A320 (Bildergalerie)

Pilots' union wary of doctors' rule change

The Cockpit union has warned against changing patient confidentiality rules for pilots, saying they could backfire.
March 31, 2015
Niels H. murder trial

Serial killer convicted

A "thrill-seeking" male nurse has been given a life sentence for murder, but the case is far from over.
February 26, 2015
Plädoyes im Prozess gegen ehemaligen Krankenpfleger

Life sentence for German nurse

A German nurse found guilty of killing of dozens of patients has been handed a sentence to life in prison.
February 26, 2015

German clinic races to stem outbreak of resistant bacterium

A team of experts has arrived in Kiel following the outbreak of a particularly drug-resistant pathogen at a hospital.
January 26, 2015
Accused sitting next to his lawyer, Ulrike Baumann (r), before the start of the trial. Photo: Carmen Jaspersen/dpa

German nurse 'admits to 30 patient killings'

A court psychologist says that the German nurse accused of killing three patients has admitted to killing 30 in all.
January 8, 2015
Berlin Charité Verdacht auf Ebola 3.1.2015

Potential Ebola patient monitored in Berlin

Doctors in Berlin are keeping watch over a South Korean medic who was exposed to the Ebola virus while treating a patient in Sierra Leone. The medic had suffered an injury with a hypodermic needle.
January 3, 2015
Hamm shooting

German gunman attacks nursing home

A gunman has left one person dead and another three injured before shooting himself during an attack at a seniors' residential care home in the western German town of Hamm. The motive is not yet known.
November 26, 2014
Nils H. sits in court, faced covered with a folder

Nothing better to do?

A former nurse in Lower Saxony is facing charges for murdering three patients 'out of boredom.'
November 22, 2014
Symbolbild - Rentner

German nursing care reformed

Germany's second parliamentary chamber has endorsed reforms of nursing care for the elderly and infirmed, including those tended at home by family members. The lower house Bundestag had passed the legislation in October.
November 7, 2014
Michael Schumacher Porträt

Schumacher 'making progress'

Michael Schumacher could recover within three years, says a French doctor treating the former Formula One champion. The German driver is making progress, albeit slowly, 10 months after a devastating ski accident.
October 23, 2014

Nurses fired for patient selfies

Five emergency room staff have been sacked at a German hospital for posting humiliating photos of patients online, a spokesman for the clinic in the western city of Aachen has confirmed.
October 21, 2014

Ebola patient in Germany dies, says hospital

A UN worker who was treated for Ebola in Leipzig, Germany, has died, according to the clinic where he was under observation in an isolation ward. He had been flown in from Liberia last week.
October 14, 2014
Frankfurt University Hospital Archiv 2007

Frankfurt ready to treat Ebola patient

Germany is prepared to treat its second Ebola patient, a hospital in Frankfurt has confirmed. Due to severe symptoms, however, it remained unclear when the patient would arrive.
October 2, 2014
Ebola in Liberia

Germany promises help to Ebola-hit Liberia

Germany has said it will provide logistical help to tackle the West African Ebola crisis in the worst-hit country, Liberia. The World Bank has warned that the disease could have a "catastrophic" economic impact.
September 17, 2014
A nurse helps an elderly patient walk

Tough deal for nurses

Foreign nurses working in Germany can end up exploited and locked into unfair contracts.
June 22, 2014
Rescue workers

Help at hand, a kilometer down

An Austrian doctor and three Italian rescue workers have reached the injured man trapped 1,000 meters underground in Germany's Riesending cave system. Johann Westhauser's injuries have complicated rescue efforts.
June 12, 2014
Rettungseinsatz für Höhlenforscher

Doctors near injured caver

Doctors are nearing a man who has been trapped 1,000 meters underground in Germany's Riesending cave system since the weekend. The tricky terrain and the man's injuries will prove a challenge for rescuers.
June 11, 2014

Appeal for doctorate title denied

Christian Democrat Annette Schavan's first legal attempt to reclaim her doctorate, stripped amid charges of plagiarism last year, has failed. The Düsseldorf court supported the university's stance, Schavan could appeal.
March 20, 2014
A person holding up a 'morning after' pill

Prescription-free or not

The EU is considering scrapping the prescription requirement for the "morning after" pill.
March 13, 2014
Krankenhaus Patientin Patienten Flur Gang Leipzig

German hospital hygiene concern

Around 40,000 patients die every year because of poor hygiene in German hospitals, according to a healthcare watchdog. The figure is twice as high as previously thought.
February 27, 2014
Daniel Bahr

O-Bahr-macare in Washington

After speaking with Daniel Bahr about his new job, the Bild am Sonntag paper asks: "Will 'Obamacare' become 'oBAHRmacare'?" The pro-business Free Democrat says he's found it amusing to be branded a "socialist."
February 2, 2014
Bricks litter a beach, turning it red against the blue backdrop of water.

Xaver unearths Gomorrah

When Hurricane Xaver swept through Germany, Operation Gomorrah resurfaced.
January 24, 2014