For treatment in Germany: is the choice of German clinics justified?

Germany is one of the most popular destinations in medical tourism. The flow of patients from other countries is constantly increasing, and on average, according to the estimates of the host clinics, it amounts to 250,000 people a year. Germany’s reputation allows patients to be sure that they will receive an accurate diagnosis and high-quality treatment according to the most modern protocols, taking into account individual characteristics.

According to the Swiss Nobel Foundation, German medicine ranks third in the number of laureates, just behind America and Great Britain.

An important indicator recorded by the Ministry of Health is the rate of medical errors. In Germany, it is 0.3%, which makes it the first place in the world ranking and gives the right to be proud of the level and qualification of doctors.

What German clinics offer to foreign patients

Germany is a leader among Western countries in terms of health care financing and has vast resources to create and equip medical centers of the highest level.

Prices for treatment in German clinics are regulated by law, in accordance with approved tariffs, so the cost of medical services in Germany is lower than in many European countries.

Material equipment and a friendly atmosphere make the stay in German hospitals as comfortable as possible and stimulate recovery processes.

Innovations introduced in leading areas

Oncology

Oncology has always been a priority for treatment in Germany. And nowadays, the highest level of diagnostics and treatment of cancer patients make German clinics the leaders among foreign patients.

When treating cancer, doctors use modern protocols that can be adjusted at a later date. This system is called “therapy optimization research”: the combined use of standard treatment and research on a specific form of cancer. The programs are then refined and optimized to be as effective as possible for patients with the same tumors. In this way, the protocol is not valid for a specific number of years, but changes as new research data become available.

Thanks to an international team of scientists led by Dr. Klaus Metzeler, a molecular diagnostic method for acute myeloid leukemia based on the detection of 17 aggressive molecules has been developed at the Munich Research Center. It shows which patients are likely to relapse after treatment.

According to the cure statistics of the World Health Organization WHO, 85% of leukemia patients recover after chemotherapy. But within two years, more than half of them have a recurrence of the disease because not all pathological cells have been destroyed.

Scientists have managed to prove that patients with an aggressive form of leukemia have a certain pattern of molecules in their leukemic cells. Having identified this at the diagnostic stage, patients are prescribed intensified therapy aimed at destroying specific cells in the bone marrow.

The molecular method for the detection of 17 aggressive molecules is the most efficient and cost-effective method for the diagnosis of blood cancers and is available at leading clinics in Germany.

CAR-T-cell therapy against cancer is another novelty in the treatment of cancer patients presented in top German hospitals. The innovative project is based on taking immune T-cells from a patient and “customizing” them in the laboratory. To do this, they are endowed with a chimeric antigenic receptor (CAR) that recognizes a structure on the surface of tumor cells and destroys them. The obtained CAR-T structures are injected back into the patient’s body, and then the active phase of the fight against the tumor begins.

Check-up diagnosis

Germany is among the top countries for check-up studies. Success is achieved by combining efficiency, speed, accessibility, a comprehensive approach and physician competence. An important advantage of check-ups in German clinics is an individualized plan, in which the doctor examines the patient before the check-up, collects an anamnesis and only then prescribes the necessary range of examinations. This approach guarantees the accuracy and focus of the check-up, so that the slightest deviations from the norm are not missed.

An example of a modern check-up for women:

• Consultation with a highly qualified doctor
• Breast examination on ultramodern mammography machine with tomosynthesis (for detection of neoplasms by layer-by-layer breast scanning)
• Microbiologic and oncocytologic smear collection (PAP test)
• Transvaginal ultrasound on expert devices of high accuracy

An example of a modern check-up for men:

• Consultation with a urologist of the highest qualification
• 3D prostate imaging for organ mapping and targeted biopsies
• genital ultrasound
• Laboratory test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker of cancer

The new generation of check-ups is characterized by speed. In Germany’s leading clinics, the time for body checks can be reduced to three hours, while the quality and efficiency of the procedures remain at the highest level. This type of examination is suitable for people who are limited in time and cannot stay in the clinic for a day or two.

Orthopedics

Orthopedics is another leading field in German clinics. It is well financed by the state and private sources. Therefore, advanced centers use only original drugs, materials and prostheses, most of which are produced by German companies of world fame.

According to the German Federal Association of Doctors, more than 400,000 endoprosthetic surgeries are performed in clinics each year, the most popular of which are hip (200,000 surgeries per year) and knee (150,000 surgeries per year) prosthetics.

The Orthopaedics departments cooperate closely with research universities, or the clinic itself is based at a university. This makes it possible to quickly implement the latest developments in surgical procedures and rehabilitation programs.

German medicine can justifiably boast an abundance of world-renowned scientists and Nobel laureates who have created more than one hundred significant studies. One of the most recent scientific breakthroughs was the creation of EOS digital fluoroscopy technology for musculoskeletal research with 3D scanning.

EOS Benefits:

• Reduced radiation exposure by several dozen times (compared to CT scans). This makes it possible to safely scan children and adolescents, for whom the problem of scoliosis is particularly acute
• Image acquisition in a standing position and in two planes at once
• X-ray of the entire skeleton in 25 seconds
• Simultaneous automatic calculation of 100 clinical parameters
• X-ray image serialization (multiple images are acquired)

Orthopedic check-up, which represents screening and monitoring of joints condition, has become a popular direction of medical tourism. Check up is important not only at the stage of detecting pathologies, but also after orthopedic interventions for control. Highly qualified doctors will help to quickly identify risks in patients and refer for necessary examinations.

Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Germany has created all conditions for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implementation in healthcare. More than 3 billion euros have been allocated for the development of innovations in AI, which has allowed Germany to establish itself as a leader among AI developers. Doctors are using the latest scientific advances to obtain highly accurate results and to facilitate and speed up the treatment process.

The world’s best doctors are on hand at clinics in Germany

Every year, the popular Focus magazine publishes a ranking of German doctors, which includes high-class specialists with a wide range of knowledge and competencies. The rating includes 1,500 doctors of various specializations, so a patient can always find a top doctor in a clinic that suits him or her.

For many years, Germany has remained a major destination for medical tourism due to the qualifications of doctors. Specialists from all over the world contact German luminaries to get a second opinion or build a treatment plan for a patient with an unusual pathology.