Health Insurance and Medical Care

HEALTH INSURANCE

Students from EU countries + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card)
The EHIC card gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. The insurance company will not pay for anything above the framework of essential care and will not even settle the excess stipulated by the local laws.

Important – the European Health Insurance Card:

  • is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
  • does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment,
  • does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country.

Please bear in mind that your European health card insurance entitles you only to coverage of the costs of medical care in the Czech Republic and Czech doctors are instructed to try to ensure that you need not leave the country earlier than you planned as a result of medical problems.

Other kinds of medically related care, e.g. non-urgent treatment, or medically assisted transport home following serious illness or injury, are not covered, and for these eventualities we recommend you take out extra medical or commercial travel insurance with an insurance provider in your home country.

 

Students from third countries

Students subject to visa obligation must buy an extra travel medical insurance. Since 2nd August 2021, this travel medical insurance may be concluded exclusively with Pojišťovna VZP, a. s. Pojistovna VZP

Before a long-term visa (or long-term visa for the purpose of collecting a residence permit) is marked in the passport of the foreign national, it is necessary to submit a document on travel medical insurance:

  • in the scope of necessary and urgent care for the first 90 days of residence on the territory and for the remaining period of residence also a document on comprehensive medical insurance concluded with Pojišťovna VZP, a. s. (can also be concluded on-line),
  • or a foreign national can directly submit a document on comprehensive medical insurance concluded with Pojišťovna VZP, a. s. for the entire period of the permitted residence on the territory (the insurance can be concluded online).

The health care costs are carried by the chosen statury Czech health insurance company. To obtain treatment under the provisions of European regulations it is important to contact a medical institution (doctor, dentist, hospital), that has a contract with the public health insurance system (most of them have, but some institutions are purely private). Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has to be submitted to the attending physician. If you do not have it the physician can insist on cash payment. The doctor will also need to check your ID document (passport, ID card, drivers license).

The doctor will normally ask you to confirm your expected length of stay in the territory of the Czech Republic and will advise you to choose one of statutory health insurance companies. You will confirm your choice and expected length of your stay by signature in above-mentioned "Potvrzení o nároku" (Certificate of entitlement).

If any medicines, laboratory tests, or any further examinations are prescribed, the doctor should give you an appropriate number of copies of "Potvrzení o nároku" (Certificate of entitlement). The copy should then be submitted to the pharmacy, laboratory or surgery.

In case of medical need during the temporary stay in the CR, visitors with the EHIC can go to the doctor/dentist/hospital directly with this document. If you are staying in the CR for a relatively long period (1 semester) you may – if you wish – make a direct agreement with a Czech health insurance company, and register with it. As the registration document you will obtain "Potvrzení o registraci" (Certificate of Registration) which can be submitted to any doctor/dentist/at the hospital before getting treatment.

Standard dental care is generally covered by the health insurance system. As in other EU countries, however, some forms of non-essential (cosmetic) treatment or higher quality materials require extra payments. If you need treatment by a specialist, the general practitioner will refer you to one. In urgent cases visitors can go to a hospital with the EHIC directly. In other cases the practitioner issues a recommendation for admission to hospital. Transport to the hospital is covered by the insurance system and is provided free of charge. In case of urgent medical transport or in case of treatment by a doctor from the emergency service it is also necessary to present your EHIC.

If the doctor decides to prescribe medicines, they will issue a prescription and should also give you a copy of "Potvrzení o nároku" (Certificate of entitlement) as mentioned before. For some medicines the patient must make some financial contribution while some groups of drugs are free for the patient. There are compulsory prescription charges on some medications, materials and forms of dental treatment. These charges are not refundable.

If you (by mistake or for any other reason) pay cash for medical treatment that is covered by your home insurance company, you will have to apply for reimbursement at home since such costs are not refundable within the CR.

In the Czech republic, non-prescription drugs and medicines are sold only in pharmacies. They are not available at supermarkets, as in many West European countries. Pharmacies may be recognised by the prominent green cross-displayed over the shop-front. Many have staff who can speak English or German, and are used to offering advice to tourists (especially in the city centres).

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HEALTH PROBLEMS

If your medical problem isn't an emergency, Prague has several clinics that cater to English-speaking clients that can provide a network of services from basic examination to accompanying a patient to the hospital. Please note, however, that these are usually commercial operations that may charge a high fee.

Before seeing any doctor for the first time we recommend you to register with the S1 form with one of the seven statutory Czech health insurance companies. The largest one is VZP (Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna - General Health Insurance Company). Registration is a very easy and free of charge procedure that simplifies appointments and covering costs by doctors. You will be asked to present your blue European health insurance card and will be given your personal health insurance number you should show to doctors or in hospitals. The address of the nearest VZP office is - Na Perštýně 6, Prague 1.

Students from EU countries (+Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) - just visit an office of the chosen statutory health insurance company to register.

Students from non-EU countries - it is obligatory for all foreigners (staying more than 90 days in the Czech Republic) to have arranged a health insurance which complies with the Czech law requirements.

RECOMMENDED HEALTH CENTRES

You should primarily choose any of the doctors/hospitals contracted with your insurance company. You can look them up on the web sites of the insurance company or call its assistence line. When visiting a doctor/hospital, please be sure to take your passport/ID.

Polyclinic at Národní
address: Národní 9 (3rd floor), Prague 1
making a prior appointment required
poliklinika@narodni.cz
phone: (+420) 222 075 119; (+420) 222 075 120
regular office hours: 8:30 - 17:00
WEB
first check-up: around 1 300 CZK (costs of medicine and special tests not included)

Motol University Hospital - Foreign and Private Patient Department
making a prior appointment required
Address: V Úvalu 84, Prague 5 (metro station Nemocnice Motol, line A)
Contact for the Department of Internal Medicine
phone: +420 224 438 573
WEB

In case of psychological problems you can use services of the Crisis Intervention Center RIAPS, Chelcickeho 39, Prague 3 - no previous registration required
riaps@mcssp.cz
phone: +420 222 586 768, 222 585 350

or

Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Ke Karlovu 11, Prague 2

phone:           +420 224 965 344-5, 224 916 858, 224 961 111
WEB

Experienced psychologists and psychiatrists are on duty 24 hours/day but not all of them speak English.

Other hospitals:

Nemocnice Na Františku
gynecological care
Na Františku 847/8
Prague 1
Phone number: +420 222 801 381
e-mail address: gynekologie@nnfp.cz

 

Nemocnice Na Homolce (Na Homolce Hospital - foreign pavilion)
WEB
Phone: +420 257 272 144, +420 257 272 146
Roentgenova 2
Praha 5


Mediconet
WEB
Phone: +420 221 775 111
V Celnici 5
110 00 Praha 1
(alternative entrance Na Poříčí 1040/10)

Metro line B, Station Náměstí Republiky
Tram Number 3, 5, 8, 9, 14, 22, 24


DC Mediscan - Chodov
WEB
Phone: +420 267 090 811 – 14
Šustova 1930
148 00 Praha 11 – Chodov

(in the same building as Policlinics Jižní Město II)
Metro line C, Station Chodov
Bus Number 115, 118, 122, 177, 197 - station Chodov