By Axel Lier
“The right number at the right moment” – this is a new campaign by the fire brigade and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. The goal: Berliners should be made aware of when to dial 112 and when to dial 116117.
The rescue service of the fire brigade regularly reaches its limit. Because the number of alerts increases every year – but often 112 is also called for reasons that the helpers can only shake their heads at: colds, swallowing difficulties, insect bites.
Fire brigade chief Karsten Homrighausen: “We have the special situation in Berlin that both the KV Berlin and the Berlin fire brigade have to deal with an enormous number of calls from the population. But our resources are also limited.”
But handing over all non-life-threatening cases to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is not the goal either. “We want to make it clear that not every health complaint is a case for 112 or 116117,” said Burkhard Ruppert, KV CEO. One advertising campaign should now inform Berliners exactly about responsibilities and processes.
When should 116117 be called?
People who are acutely ill outside of the practice’s office hours can call 116117 for an initial medical assessment by the employees of the control center of the medical on-call service of the KV Berlin. At the end of the survey, the correct care is recommended to the callers: Those seeking help can wait until the practice opens again. Alternatively, you can call a medical consultant in the control center. Or the patients present themselves in one of the eleven KV emergency service practices.
In the case of people who cannot leave the apartment and who have a medical evaluation, the mobile home visit service comes home. At night, home visits can also be made to people who are not immobilized and where there is a medical indication, if the treatment cannot be delayed but a visit to the hospital is not necessary. Emergencies are forwarded directly to the Berlin fire brigade.
When should 112 be called?
The number 112 is the correct telephone number if the patient is in a life-threatening situation, which usually arises suddenly, for example:
- loss of consciousness
- life-threatening injuries, such as from a car accident
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- a fall from a great height