Sick at night in Berlin — what to do?

Three paths at night — and when each fits

Night-time illness in Berlin hits more people than one might think — high fever in children, migraine with vomiting, gastroenteritis, acute respiratory infections, back pain, urinary tract infections, panic attacks. The first seconds always go to one question: 'Is this life-threatening?' For unconsciousness, severe chest pain, acute breathing failure, paralysis, severe bleeding or seizure the answer is yes — and you dial 112 immediately. For everything else — fever, pain, nausea, infection patterns, wound problems — you can decide more calmly.

The first standard path for statutorily insured patients is 116117, the on-call service of the regional association of statutory health insurance physicians. You dial the number (uniform across Germany, no area code), describe symptoms, and depending on triage you either receive a contract-physician house call or are directed to an out-of-hours practice. Advantage: free, apart from possible co-payments. Disadvantage: in Berlin, waiting times for a 116117 house call at night are frequently several hours — three to eight is not unusual, longer during flu season. With a high-feverish child or when you can no longer stand without help, that wait feels endless.

The second path is the private house call. The RAB on-call medical service is reachable daily until midnight — exactly across the critical 10 pm to midnight window when most regular practices are closed and the 116117 system is overloaded. Arrival typically 60 to 90 minutes, often faster at night thanks to lighter traffic. You get on-site diagnostics, medication, prescription, sick-note and an honest opinion on whether hospital admission is needed. A private full policy reimburses the GOÄ bill; statutorily insured patients carry it themselves. For most families the investment pays off when a feverish wait is not acceptable — especially with small children, isolated seniors or tourists without local knowledge.

Example: family with a toddler in Friedrichshain

A family in Friedrichshain has an 18-month-old child at 11:30 pm with 39.8 °C fever, not drinking, apathetic — no shortness of breath, no rash, no seizure tendency. The parents call 116117 — wait for a contract physician's house call is six hours. They opt for the private path. The doctor arrives at 0:35 am, examines, rules out otitis media and pneumonia, diagnoses a viral respiratory infection, gives oral antipyretic and observes for 20 minutes until the child drinks again. Sick-note for one parent and a daycare certificate included. The family sleeps from 1:30 am — the conscious self-pay saved them six hours of worry.

Decision guide at night — what fits when

• 112: life-threatening, always, without hesitation. Berlin ambulance typically arrives in 10 – 15 minutes.
• 116117: GKV on-call, free. Berlin night-time wait for a house call often 3 – 8 hours.
• Private house call RAB: 60 – 90 minutes, GOÄ bill. PKV reimburses, GKV patients self-pay.
• Night-duty pharmacies: search via aponet.de or 0800 / 0022 833 (toll-free).
• Out-of-hours practices: in Berlin e.g. Charité Mitte, Vivantes Friedrichshain, DRK Westend — see 116117.de.
• Paediatric out-of-hours services: Charité Virchow, Helios Buch, Vivantes Friedrichshain, Sankt Joseph Tempelhof.
• Berlin poison control: 030 / 19240 — for poisoning by medication, chemicals or plants.
• Dental out-of-hours: 030 / 89 00 43 33 — for acute dental pain.