Healthcare Provision System
Organisation of the System of Czech Healthcare Provision
Both state and private medical facilities exist in the CR. Almost all facilities have concluded contracts for the provision and payment of healthcare with health insurers and provide healthcare to patients insured at the relevant health insurers without direct payment.
Outpatient Care
In cases of falling ill a patient usually turns to a so-called primary care doctor who works in the patient's local area. These are general practitioners, paediatricians, also dentists and gynaecologists who can be visited directly.
Local administrative bodies, your health insurer or the phone book can be the sources of relevant information.
To be treated by a primary care doctor it is necessary to register with a doctor who has a contract with your insurer for the provision of healthcare. He or she then becomes your registered doctor, draws up a registry entry and is liable to systematic care of the patient, i.e. ensures basic care (including visits) and, as required, procures specialist care from a specialist or hospital.
Please note that policy-holders of contractual health insurance do not register with doctors. Their treatment is carried out by contractual doctors, as well as VZP contractual medical facilities.
If your state of health requires specialist care which your registered general practitioner cannot provide, the latter recommends you relevant specialised medical facilities which have contracts with your health insurer. Even in this case you have the right of free choice of healthcare facility and doctor. The registered doctor issues a recommendation for specialist care or treatment in hospital, or directly arranges for this admission. Patients can visit specialists in the CR without a recommendation from their primary care doctor.
Pharmacies issue patients with medicaments on the basis of prescriptions either without charge or for a charge corresponding to the part of the price covered by the insurer. Validity of medical prescriptions may differ from 24 hours (for prescription from the emergency service) to one week.
For urgent medical assistance call 155 - emergency services.
If you don’t speak Czech call the emergency number 112, where the English and German speaking operators will connect to line 155 themselves and communicate your problem. Every healthcare facility is required to treat you in the case of acute, urgent care.
If your need is not acute get help from a medical facility which is under contract with your insurer. Healthcare will be provided without direct payment in such facilities, to the extent of the given type of your health insurance (public health insurance or long-term contractual health insurance).
With short-term contractual health insurance it is necessary to turn to state-owned medical facilities (e.g. hospitals). Only necessary and urgent care is covered by this insurance.
How to find a doctor who speaks your language?
When concluding contracts for contractual health insurance it is possible to get contact information on facilities where foreign languages are spoken. It is possible to solve problems quickly with VZP CR Assistance services.
Medical Information Centre known as H.E.L.P. provides information on private doctors, hospitals, pharmacists, health resorts, private clinics, sanatoria and all other medical facilities operating in the Czech Republic.
Free information telephone line +420 296 182 626
email: help_lic@netforce.cz
address: Lékařské informační centrum, Lékařský dům, Sokolská 31, 120 21 Praha 2.
Full catalogue located at http://www.kataloglekaru.cz/ or http://www.doctorhelp.cz/ or http://www.help-lic.cz/.
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