Find a pharmacy in Oberhausen
Oberhausen, a Ruhr-area city of roughly 210,000 residents in North Rhine-Westphalia, supports 26 verified community pharmacies in the PillsCard directory — a density typical of post-industrial Ruhrgebiet towns where walkable neighbourhood retail still anchors primary care. The catchment serves long-standing working-class districts such as Alstaden, Sterkrade and Osterfeld, a sizeable Turkish-German and Polish-speaking population, and commuters who pass through Hauptbahnhof and the Neue Mitte retail zone around CentrO. Pharmacy clusters track foot traffic: dense around Marktstraße in Alt-Oberhausen, along Bahnhofstraße in Sterkrade, and beside the Helios St. Elisabeth and Ameos Klinikum hospital campuses. Multilingual counter staff (German, Turkish, Polish, Russian) are common, reflecting the city's migration history rather than tourist demand.
The Oberhausen market is fragmented and owner-operated, in line with German federal rules that bar pharmacy chains beyond limited branch ownership. Independent Apotheken dominate: Alstadener Apotheke and Apotheke am Volkspark serve the southern residential belt, while Hindenburg Apotheke and Bero-Apotheke anchor the central Bero-Centre and Hindenburgplatz catchments. Sterkrade's northern district leans on Gilden Apotheke and Kloster Apotheke near the historic Abtei, with Glocken-Apotheke and Löwen-Apotheke covering Osterfeld. Robert Koch Apotheke and Sanavita Apotheke handle hospital-adjacent prescriptions and compounding work close to the Helios and Ameos sites. Several participate in the Apothekenverbund Oberhausen duty rota and offer Botendienst (home delivery), Blutdruck checks, vaccination services, and Rezeptur (in-house compounding) for paediatric and dermatology scripts.
Pricing & coverage
Prescription medicines dispensed under GKV cost a statutory co-payment of EUR 5–10 per item (10% of price, capped), with under-18s and low-income exemptions. Over-the-counter items are unregulated: a pack of ibuprofen 400mg typically runs EUR 4–8, a standard antibiotic course EUR 15–40 retail, and influenza vaccination EUR 20–35 when self-paid (free under GKV for over-60s and risk groups). PKV reimburses the full invoice against the patient's tariff. Pricing of Rx medicines is fixed nationally under the Arzneimittelpreisverordnung, so the same box costs the same in every German Apotheke; see BfArM for licensing and the Lauer-Taxe for current public prices.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Outside normal hours (typically 08:30–18:30 weekdays, shorter Saturdays, closed Sundays), one Oberhausen pharmacy is always on duty under the Notdienst rota coordinated by Apothekerkammer Nordrhein. The current duty pharmacy is posted on the door of every Apotheke, listed at aponet.de, or reachable on 0800 00 22 8 33. A small Notdienstgebühr (EUR 2.50) applies. For acute medical emergencies dial 112; the ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst (non-life-threatening after-hours GP service) is 116 117. Helios St. Elisabeth Hospital in Alt-Oberhausen and Ameos Klinikum St. Clemens in Sterkrade run the city's 24-hour A&E departments.
Frequently asked questions
Do Oberhausen pharmacies accept the electronic prescription (E-Rezept)?
Yes. Since 1 January 2024, GKV prescriptions in Germany are issued electronically by default, and every verified Oberhausen Apotheke can redeem an E-Rezept via the gematik app, the insured person's eGK health card inserted at the counter, or a printed token. Paper Muster-16 forms remain valid for narcotics and home-visit cases. PKV patients increasingly receive E-Rezepte too, though paper persists with some private practices.
Which Oberhausen pharmacies speak Turkish, Polish or Russian?
Counter staff in Marktstraße, Sterkrade and Osterfeld branches frequently speak Turkish reflecting the city's post-1960s migration history, while pharmacies near Lipperfeld and Holten often have Polish or Russian speakers. There is no central register; ringing ahead is the most reliable check. Larger sites such as Bero-Apotheke and Hindenburg Apotheke typically list spoken languages on their websites or Google profiles.
Can I get vaccinations at an Oberhausen pharmacy?
Since 2022, trained Apotheker may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations to adults under GKV cover, and several Oberhausen pharmacies have opted in — including hospital-adjacent sites like Robert Koch Apotheke. Travel jabs and routine childhood schedules still require a GP or the Gesundheitsamt on Tannenbergstraße. Walk-ins are possible, but booking by phone or via the pharmacy's website avoids waits during the autumn flu campaign.
Are pharmacies open on Sundays in Oberhausen?
No Apotheke opens routinely on Sundays — German shop-closing law prohibits it. Sunday coverage is handled exclusively by the Notdienst rota: typically one or two Oberhausen pharmacies are on duty for the full 24 hours, rotating across all 26 city sites. The active duty pharmacy is searchable by postcode at aponet.de or displayed on the door of any closed Apotheke.
Can pharmacies in Oberhausen compound custom medications?
Yes. Rezeptur (in-house compounding) is a federally required capability, so every verified pharmacy can prepare creams, capsules and paediatric suspensions to a doctor's formula. Robert Koch Apotheke and Sanavita Apotheke handle higher volumes given hospital proximity, with turnaround typically same-day or next-day for standard formulations.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult a licensed pharmacy or physician for individual clinical decisions, dosing, and interactions.