For more information consult the Health appendix. Tick-borne encephalitis is present in forested areas of southern Germany. Vaccination is advisable. Prescribed medicines may, in some cases, have to be paid for. Private insurance is recommended for specialist medical treatment outside the German National Health Service, which can be very expensive.
All chemists give alternative addresses of services available outside the normal opening hours.
There are 350 officially recognised medical spas and watering places with modern equipment providing therapeutic treatment and recreational facilities for visitors seeking rest and relaxation. A list of the spas and health resorts and various treatments can be ordered from the German National Tourist Office, or directly from Deutscher Heilb derverband e. Katharinen Hospital Klinikum Stuttgart Caring for about 73,000 inpatients and 270,000 outpatients a year, the Klinikum Stuttgart covers almost the whole range of medical fields. The Klinikum Stuttgart entails four hospitals, Buergerhospital, Katharinenhospital, Krankenhaus Bad Cannstatt and Olgahospital. With 2,500 beds and 5,850 employees, the Klinikum Stuttgart tends to the larger Stuttgart region with highly effective medical assistance.