Germany

1. Is the paediatric practice public or private?
In Germany, there are university hospitals, municipal hospitals or general health services, which are operated by the public sector. Hospitals often offer a paediatric outpatient treatment as well (special consulting hours). Paediatric practice (treatment not given through hospital admission) is private.

2. Is the paediatric practice mandatory?
Up to the age of 6, children have a legal claim on altogether 9 age specific preventive medical examinations. A further follows at the age of approx. 12 years. An obligation for the perception of these dates does not exist. The costs of these investigations (and also for recommended protective inoculations) are carried by the health insurance companies.

3. Is the paediatric practice only confided to paediatrician or can a general practitioner take it in charge?
The "Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Kinder und Jugendmedizin" (DGKJ) is the Society of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in Germany. More than 13.000 paediatricians are members of DGKJ. One of the central goals of DGKJ is the treatment of children and young persons by paediatricians. In case of hospitalization, they should be supplied by particularly trained medical and nursing care at the special stations/departments. However, this is not obligating.

4. Lists of paediatric centres / associations
A list of the paediatric clinics and the child hospitals in Germany is published at http://www.dgkj.de/2.html.
Further associations and federations within the range of paediatrics and adolescent medicine are:

• Those 36 societies with special scientific fields which belong to DGKJ (http://www.dgkj.de/647.html)
• The German academy for child and youth medicine DAKJ  (www.dgkj.de )
• The professional association of the child and youth physicians BVKJ (www.bvkj.de).
   
  You can find general information of the health service in Germany at the following link
  http://www.bmg.bund.de/nn_773524/EN/Health/health-node,param=.html__nnn=true

Prevention of childhood obesity in Germany