Health care in the Czech republic
Foreign nationals staying in the Czech Republic may encounter these types of health care:
Outpatient care
Outpatient care is provided by primary care physicians or specialists. If a person is taken ill, they usually contact a primary care physician working near their home. These are general practitioners for adults, general practitioners for children and young people, dentists and gynaecologists.
When choosing a physician, you should bear in mind that you can only register with a physician who has concluded a contract with your insurance company.
If health care is to be reimbursed from public health insurance, the insured must first register with a primary care physician (the local basic health care provider). A physician may only refuse to register an insured person if the registration brought to the physician so much work that it would not permit provision of quality care to the patient or other patients in the physician’s care.
A physician cannot refuse treatment in the case of essential and urgent care (accident or sudden acute illness). After the treatment the patient is referred to his or her family physician. If refused, an insured person has a right to have the refusal confirmed by the physician in writing.
A patient can visit a specialist physician in the Czech Republic without a referral from the primary care physician.
Institutional (inpatient) care
If the nature of an illness demands this, a primary care physician or outpatient specialist can refer a patient for hospital treatment or arrange for their admittance.
Inpatient care is provided in hospitals and specialized institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation centres, hospices, sanatoria, long-term care hospitals.
Ambulance and emergency rescue service
Emergency rescue service is available to deal with cases of acute illness or accident when a patient cannot get to a physician and immediate treatment is needed and transport of the patient to a health care facility under permanent care to prevent further aggravation of their health conditions or threat to the life. It can be called on the national emergency number 155. Number 155 can only be used to call for assistance with health problems, whereas the single European emergency number 112 is intended to call help when more people are affected and to activate the integrated rescue system whose core elements are the police, ambulance service, and the fire brigade. Both numbers can be dialled free of charge.
Provision of health care is assured in the event of a less serious acute illness or accident outside physician’s hours or in the absence of the attending physician. This functions according to local conditions: it is usually collaboration of physicians who stand in for one another, or are emergency services in special consulting centres or in hospital emergency departments. Emergency services are also available for acute dental complaints. Insured person can address information to the health department of the regional council and centre of medical emergency services.
Industrial health care
Industrial health care aims to protect employees’ health and to prevent, in cooperation with the employer, occupational diseases and other damage to health, which includes prevention of accidents. Industrial health care staff counsel employees in matters involving protection and promotion of health. They regularly inspect workplaces, determine the effects of work and working conditions on employees’ health, and perform preventive health examinations of employees (incoming, ongoing, outgoing).
Dispensary care
This is the provision of consistent specialist patient care.
Balneological care
Balneological care can be regarded as an essential part of the curative process. It is recommended by one’s attending physician and confirmed by a reviewing physician. Entitlement to balneological care is claimed on a pre-printed form by the registering general physician or attending physician in case of hospitalization.
Dispensing medicaments and medical devices
In the Czech Republic there is an extensive network of pharmacies dispensing medicaments and medical devices, both on prescription and over the counter.
Validity of prescriptions:
- a prescription from an emergency service is valid for one day after its issue,
- a prescription for antibiotics and antimicrobial chemotherapeutics is valid for 5 days,
- other prescriptions are valid for 14 days unless the prescribing physician decides otherwise.
Preventive care
Preventive examinations and vaccination against infectious diseases are performed by primary care physicians.