Munich – No more jobs as a DJ, separation from the wife – and thrown out of private health insurance. For Erwin P. (62), in 2007 everything came one after the other.
“Before that, I had a really good life,” said the Munich resident. Until his order situation got worse. The DJ built up debt – and at some point could no longer pay his insurance premium.
Fatal: Erwin P. suffers from cardiac insufficiency and is dependent on regular medication and examinations.
His rescue: the Open.Med practice on Dachauer Strasse in Munich. In the Doctors of the World project, physicians, students and other volunteers help all those who cannot go to a normal practice because they have no or limited insurance cover.
The entrance area of the Open.Med practice on Dachauer Straße
“In Munich, that’s an estimated 30,000 people,” says Dr. Dieter Eppich (69). The internist retired three years ago and has been helping out in the practice on a regular basis ever since.
The motivation for his commitment: “I was shocked by how few people have access to health insurance.”
These are often homeless people, but also EU citizens whose health insurance only covers a limited number of visits to the doctor – mostly medical emergencies.
Eppich: “We treat patients who are often chronically ill before they become emergencies.”
The team includes general practitioners, gynecologists, paediatricians and psychiatrists. If desired, the treatments can be carried out completely anonymously – in order to take the hurdle away from patients. The main problems, according to the doctor: “Diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure.”
If more extensive examinations are necessary – for example if cancer is suspected – there is a network of specialists who help out free of charge or at low cost, and a contingent of medicines is also available to the doctors.
–The doctors are regularly on the move at the main train station with this treatment vehicle
Erwin P.’s life is on the up again. For a long time he had to live with friends and acquaintances, but now he has received social housing from the city. His heart failure is also well controlled with treatment and medication.
His next goal: to get out of the emergency tariff with his health insurance company and to be able to take advantage of the full benefits of his insurance again.
Stephanie Kirchner, spokeswoman for Doctors of the World: “Our full-time consultants help the patients with this.” After all, in 2021 they managed to reintegrate 80 patients. Maybe soon Erwin P.
Opening times general consultation hours from Open.Med at Dachauer Straße 161: Tuesday 4-7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
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