‘I thought healthcare in Germany would be easy’: Woman shares reality of finding a doctor’s appointment

Moving abroad often comes with expectations of better infrastructure and smoother public services. However, one Indian woman living in Germany has shared an experience that did not match what she had imagined. In a now-viral Instagram post, Simran Kaul Arora spoke about the challenges she and her husband faced while trying to get medical treatment.Woman recounts doctor appointment struggle in Germany. (Instagram/@imrankoul14)Sharing the video, Simran wrote, “I genuinely thought getting medical care in Germany would be quick and easy. But this experience completely changed my perspective. If you’re living in Germany, has finding a doctor’s appointment been easy for you, or has it been a struggle too?”In the video, Simran explained that before moving to Germany, she believed the country’s healthcare system would be highly efficient. However, a recent incident involving her husband changed that perception.”I always thought Germany ka healthcare system kaafi efficient hoyega before moving here. But recently jo experience hua na, it was completely different from what I expected. Shivam ko eye infection ho gaya tha. Initially laga we will get it checked quickly, but that’s when we realised ki doctor tak pahunchna hi itna straightforward nahi hai.”She went on to explain that they first visited an emergency facility, where they were asked to go to another centre located an hour away from their home.(Also Read: Samay Raina, Vir Das react to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation: ‘More power to the students’)”Pehle emergency mein gaye. Vahan se hame kahin aur jaane ko bol diya, which was 1 hour away from our home. Fir alag se mushkil se doctor ki appointment mili after 1 week. Aur jab finally appointment ke liye gaye, we still ended up waiting for a really long time.”Simran added that what disappointed her the most was the long wait despite paying insurance and taxes.”Aur honestly sabse frustrating part yeh tha ki itna insurance aur taxes pay karne ke baad bhi doctor’s appointment milna itna difficult hai. Aur jab appointment mil bhi jaaye, tab bhi itna wait karna padta hai. Yeh definitely mere expectations se kaafi different tha before moving here to Germany.”Take a look:Internet compares healthcare in Germany and IndiaThe video attracted several reactions from people who shared similar experiences or compared healthcare services in Europe with those in India.One user wrote, “It’s in moments like these that I truly miss India.”Another commented, “I had the same problem. It was a sudden eye infection. We called the clinic early in the morning saying it was an emergency, and within 30 minutes a doctor checked me and gave me medication. I think I was lucky.”A third said, “Thanks for sharing that. It could be an eye-opener for many Indians who curse and beat up doctors here, left, right, and centre. It’s not easy to seek medical support in the EU like we can in India.”(Also Read: ‘People at tea stalls talk about startups’: Man amazed Bengaluru’s entrepreneurial spirit)Another user shared, “Yes, outside India it’s very difficult to catch the doctor. We have faced the same issue and, as a precaution, we always carry our basic medicines from India. But all things are not good there.”Others offered practical advice. One person wrote, “You can always go to Akutsprechstunde at most clinics. In Berlin, it’s quite easy to find them.” Another added, “Not the whole of Europe though. Denmark is better, I have heard.” A different user simply said, “I feel you on this one.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)