Access to medical care and a clear understanding of the health care system in a new country are among the key necessities when settling down abroad. Title image: Casadei Graphics
Text by Brno Expat Centre
The overall level of medical services in the Czech Republic is high. How one can make use of these services depends on the type of health insurance one has – public or commercial. (For more information about insurance, have a look at the BEC Infosheet on Health Insurance.)
You are free to choose your general practitioner, though you should check to make sure that s/he has signed a contract with the insurance company with which you have taken out health insurance. If this is not the case, you will have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed by your insurance provider, but only when it is a case of “essential” or “urgent” treatment. You may also contact your health insurance company and request a list of doctors in your area. Visits to your doctor are covered by your insurance policy. If you need to visit a specialist, your GP will arrange for this; the financial arrangements are the same as in the case of treatment by your GP.
Day or night, in case of serious emergencies – meaning those that may be life-threatening – you should call 112 (European emergency number). An ambulance will be sent with medical support; you will be examined on the spot, treated or, if necessary, taken to the hospital. If you have an injury or illness that is too serious to be dealt with by a general practitioner but not serious enough to call for an ambulance, the place to go is the Trauma Hospital of Brno (“Úrazová nemocnice v Brně, tel. 545 538 111), located near the centre of the city at Ponávka 6. The Trauma Hospital has urgent care facilities for both medical and dental problems.
You can find more information and a list of English speaking doctors, specialists and dentists in Brno Expat Centre’s infosheet Health and Medical Services.
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