Thursday, January 4, 2024, 11:25 a.m
Bad Segeberg – When do I dial 116117 and when do I dial 112? When is the medical on-call service responsible and in which situation should the emergency services be called? The Schleswig-Holstein Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVSH) and the State Ministry of Health want to launch a joint campaign to raise awareness among citizens about how to use the two emergency numbers correctly. The information clip “The right number at the right moment” was published today, which is based on a campaign of the same name from Berlin and was adapted for Schleswig-Holstein. The clip explains which telephone number is the right one in which medical situation: www.kvsh.de/die-rechte-nummer-im-rechte-moment
Acute complaints and the family doctor’s office is closed? Then the KVSH medical on-call service can be reached on 116117. If life is in danger, the emergency services should be called on 112, said Dr. Monika Schliffke, the chairwoman of the KVSH, makes the differences clear. Not every health complaint is a case for an emergency call – sometimes a quick look at the medicine cabinet helps, or it’s enough to give yourself some rest until the next working day and then go to the doctor.
Health Minister Kerstin von der Decken: Patients need the right contact person in the respective situation. Familiarize yourself with when and which number to dial. And please check in advance whether your family doctor can help you during normal consultation hours. Everyone must understand that there may currently be longer waiting times. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone working in healthcare! They are committed to the health of patients in the current challenging situation.
Both telephone numbers are called far too often, even though there is no life-threatening situation (112) or acute health problems (116117). This ties up capacity that is much more urgently needed elsewhere. We therefore appeal to the people of Schleswig-Holstein to use our care offerings responsibly and in a resource-saving manner and to think about whether there are sufficient reasons to choose one of the two numbers, emphasized Schliffke and von der Decken. Only then would the medical on-call service and the emergency services have the chance to take care of the people who really need help.
The number of emergency service operations in Schleswig-Holstein increased from around 587,200 operations in 2016 to around 691,400 in 2022. In 2022, there were around 220,000 patient contacts in the medical on-call service.
Another measure of the campaign is to involve the practices in Schleswig-Holstein as multipliers, as many patients can be reached through them. In addition, the Internet platforms and social media channels of the Ministry of Health and the KVSH will be used with campaign content. In addition, rescue control centers, aid organizations, health insurance companies, hospitals and communities, among others, are asked to distribute the information clip. Further measures are being planned.