In the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district, a Counselling Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infections has begun operating, though many residents of the city still do not know it exists.
Where the Counselling Centre Is Located
The counselling service is located at Bayerstrasse 28a. According to representatives of the Munich city administration, anyone may go there – the open testing medical consultation currently accepts visitors without a prior appointment.
Anonymity here is not a formality but a working principle. The visitor’s name is not recorded, and test results are communicated personally and confidentially. Before testing, medical staff first discuss the individual’s situation and risk factors with them, and then select a specific set of tests.
Why Testing Matters Right Now
Many sexually transmitted infections show almost no signs at an early stage. A person may remain unaware of an infection for months, all the while remaining a source of risk to a partner. For this reason, the examination is recommended after any potentially risky sexual contact, without waiting for the first symptoms.
Depending on risk factors, the Counselling Centre offers tests for:
Attention! Consultation and laboratory tests for these are free of charge. Separately, for €26, a rapid HIV test is available, the result of which can be known faster than with a standard analysis.
The City Authorities’ Position
The head of Munich’s Health Department, Beatrix Zurek, links the work of the Counselling Centre not only to the expansion of state care for its citizens but also to personal responsibility and concern for one’s health. In her words, a responsible attitude toward sexual health means not only personal awareness but also a willingness to care for a partner’s health.
What Happens if a Test Result Is Positive
The Counselling Centre’s team informs visitors of unwelcome news individually and without judgement. If a test result turns out to be positive, specialists do not leave the person alone with their diagnosis. Where necessary, they continue to accompany the patient and refer them to specialised medical practices, clinics or partner organisations for further treatment.
Why This Matters
Early diagnosis has a direct bearing on the success of treatment and limits the spread of infections among city residents. The free and anonymous format removes two barriers that most often prevent people from seeking help: the financial and the psychological.
But the substance of the project remains debatable. For this project merely duplicates the functions of ordinary medical practices – the diagnostic stage. It does not treat those who are infected. In essence, the city has allocated funds and created jobs for a project whose necessity raises more questions than it answers. Nor has anyone presented the public with a justification for the project, a budget, or evidence of demand for the creation of the counselling centre.
How many such projects do we already have, which drain tens of thousands of euros from the treasury while in essence standing empty or merely creating the appearance of work?
And how much longer will the city’s residents tolerate such unprofessionalism on the part of the municipal authorities. It would be understandable if such a centre, or its representatives, had been placed in districts where potential patients actually live – that is, disadvantaged social communities – but the project is located in the centre of one of the most expensive districts of Munich, a district whose residents have expensive medical insurance and visit professor-physicians at the very first symptoms of illness.
It would be reasonable if the counsellors were located in homeless shelters and refugee camps – that would be logical.
And no amount of loud slogans from City Hall representatives answers the question of what purpose is served by duplicating the work of ordinary doctors.
Yet we continue to hear populist mantras along the lines of: “This initiative, timed to coincide with World Sexual Health Day, reminds Munich residents that caring for one’s health requires neither significant expense nor an explanation of motives – it is enough to come to the address given.” And that is regrettable!
Source: Munich Municipality (Landeshauptstadt München)
