The guide informs asylum seekers about important aspects of health care in Germany and what to do in the event of illness. It provides information on how to protect your own health and on the necessary and obligatory initial examination after arrival in Germany. At the same time, it serves as an aid to authorities and medical staff on site and contains a multilingual, removable vaccination card.
The health guide is published in German, English, Arabic, Kurdish (Kurmanci) and Pashto. It is therefore available in the languages that asylum seekers speak most frequently. The guide is sent to ministries in the federal states, migrant organizations and charities, among others.
It can also be sent by e-mail to bestellportal(at)ethnomed.com and to www.Ratgeber-Gesundheit-für-Asylsuchende.de can be ordered and is available as a PDF for download and as an online version here on the website of the Federal Ministry of Health.
It is important that those seeking protection in Germany receive good medical care. This serves both the health of the asylum seekers themselves and the protection of the general population. The federal government supports the federal states, which are responsible for the local implementation of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, with various measures. With the Asylum Procedure Acceleration Act, which came into force in October 2015, the vaccination protection of asylum seekers was improved. In addition, regulations were implemented on the use of medical helpers among the refugees, on improved access to psychotherapeutic care and on facilitating the introduction of an electronic health card for refugees.
In addition, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) and the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) provide information and scientific expertise. These include, for example, the concept for the implementation of early vaccinations for asylum seekers and recommendations for carrying out pre-screening and the initial reception examination, which were developed by experts from the Robert Koch Institute. The Federal Center for Health Education supports patients with information on infectious diseases in six languages, the Robert Koch Institute with a vaccination calendar and vaccination information materials in 20 foreign languages.