GP, out-of-hours medical centre, emergencies: who to call in Luxembourg
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Who to call, and when
| Situation | Where to go | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday health problem, practice open | Your GP | Practice hours |
| Problem that cannot wait, in the evening, at the weekend or on a public holiday | Out-of-hours medical centre, no appointment | Weekdays 8 pm-midnight; Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays 8 am-midnight |
| Same thing, after midnight | 112, which passes you on to the doctor on duty | At night |
| Serious health problem | Emergency department of the on-duty hospital | 24/7 |
| Immediate danger to life | 112 (ambulance) | 24/7 |
| Medicine in the evening or at night | On-duty pharmacy | From 8 am to 8 am the next day (list on pharmacie.lu) |
Out-of-hours medical centres provide a general medicine service: they are not emergency departments. For a serious problem, go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.
Evenings and weekends: the out-of-hours medical centre
When your condition requires a GP and you cannot wait for your doctor to be back, go to the nearest out-of-hours medical centre, no appointment needed:
- Luxembourg City: 23, Val Fleuri, L-1526 Luxembourg;
- Esch-Belval: 3-5, avenue du Swing, L-4367 Belvaux;
- Ettelbruck: 110, avenue Lucien Salentiny, L-9080 Ettelbruck.
They are open on weekdays from 8 pm to midnight, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 8 am to midnight. The switchboard answers on (+352) 20 333 111 during these hours.
After midnight, the medical centre is closed: you call 112, which passes you on to the doctor on duty. They call you back and may, depending on the case, come to your home.
For a child, there is a paediatric medical centre at the CHL KannerKlinik (4, rue Ernest Barblé, Luxembourg): Monday to Friday from 7 pm to 10 pm, weekends and public holidays from 9 am to 9 pm. The CHL also hosts the national paediatric emergency service.
Emergency departments of the on-duty hospital
Emergency departments are for a health problem of a certain severity that needs fast treatment. For everything else, it is your doctor or the out-of-hours medical centre.
- South: Centre hospitalier Emile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette site, every day 24/7.
- North: Centre hospitalier du Nord, Ettelbruck site, every day 24/7.
- Centre: the Hôpital Kirchberg and the Centre hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) take turns on duty. The calendar for the year is published on the Portail Santé.
For a dental emergency, call your dentist first. Outside their hours, 112 can direct you to the on-duty dental practice. An accident affecting your teeth can be treated at the on-duty hospital.
The on-duty pharmacy
On-duty pharmacies provide a 24-hour service, from 8 am to 8 am the next day. To find out which one is on duty near you, check the list published by the Syndicat des pharmaciens luxembourgeois on pharmacie.lu (ouvre dans un nouvel onglet).
This is for you if
You have just arrived in Luxembourg and are looking for a family doctor.
Your practice is closed (evening, weekend, public holiday) and you need to see a doctor.
You are unsure between the out-of-hours medical centre and the hospital emergency department.
You are looking for a pharmacy open at night.
someone is in immediate danger (collapse, chest pain, serious accident): call 112 right away.
Do this once, before you need it
Choose your GP
- When: as soon as you arrive, without waiting to be ill
- Choice: free, you can change
- Directory: the Collège médical search engine
- Link: Search for a professional (ouvre dans un nouvel onglet) Ask the practice whether it takes new patients and whether it offers Direct immediate payment (PID): you then only pay your share.
Activate your eSanté account
- For: the GesondheetsApp and your shared care record
- Where: MyGuichet.lu or a code from the Agence eSanté
- Link: See the CNS GesondheetsApp (ouvre dans un nouvel onglet) Handy for sending your bills to the CNS online when your doctor uses Digital reimbursement.
Your GP
In Luxembourg, medicine is private practice: you choose your attending doctor and you can see a specialist directly, without being referred by another doctor. The GP remains your first point of contact: they handle prevention and common illnesses, and refer you to a specialist if needed.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Security strongly recommend that every newcomer, and the parents of a newborn, choose a general practitioner. For your child, a paediatrician or a GP.
To get a consultation reimbursed, everything is explained in our guide reimbursement of healthcare costs.
The referring doctor: useful only in certain cases
The referring doctor (médecin référent) is not compulsory. You can see your GP or a specialist without having signed anything.
This scheme is for patients who need coordination between several caregivers. To choose a referring doctor, you must meet two conditions:
- have at least one long-term condition (ALD) that requires prolonged treatment and the involvement of several caregivers (the list includes 32, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cystic fibrosis);
- have a shared care record (DSP) activated with the Agence eSanté.
Only a GP or a paediatrician can be a referring doctor, and they must agree. You fill in a declaration together, which the doctor sends to the CNS referring doctor service. Having a referring doctor does not stop you from seeing a specialist directly.
And what you pay yourself?
A consultation is not 100% reimbursed for an adult: your contribution remains, and some doctors charge extra fees that the CNS does not reimburse. Our guide reimbursement of healthcare costs details what is left for you to pay.
If you see doctors often, or if you have children, supplementary health insurance can cover a good part of what remains. The simplest: an insurance advisor can compare for you and call you back. To understand what it covers, read our guide supplementary health insurance.
An advisor from the agency will call you back.Common mistakes
Going to the emergency department for a cold or a simple fever
The out-of-hours medical centre is there for that, and emergency departments stay free for serious cases.
Going to the medical centre after midnight
It is closed. Call 112, which puts you in touch with the doctor on duty.
Waiting to be ill before looking for a doctor
The Ministry of Health recommends choosing your GP as soon as you arrive.
Believing the referring doctor is compulsory
It only concerns patients with a long-term condition.
Going to the wrong hospital in Luxembourg City
Kirchberg and the CHL take turns, check the day's on-duty calendar.
Frequently asked questions
At one of the 3 out-of-hours medical centres (Luxembourg City, Belvaux, Ettelbruck), no appointment needed, from 8 am to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. After midnight, call 112.
No, the 3 medical centres see patients without an appointment. The switchboard answers on (+352) 20 333 111 during opening hours.
The Hôpital Kirchberg and the CHL take turns. The calendar for the year is on the Portail Santé. In the south (Esch-sur-Alzette) and the north (Ettelbruck), emergency departments are open 24/7.
You choose freely. The Collège médical offers a search engine for professionals. Call the practices near you to find out whether they take new patients.
No. It is reserved for patients with a long-term condition and an activated shared care record, and it remains optional.