How to Book a Doctor’s Appointment in Slovakia

The most important thing we have is our health, so it matters to look after it and to see a doctor in good time.

Booking a doctor’s appointment in Slovakia may feel unfamiliar to anyone who has just arrived in the country. The process, however, is fairly simple and similar to what exists elsewhere.

Slovakia has compulsory health insurance. That means you need a health insurance policy in order to receive medical care. If you are not a Slovak citizen, check whether you are covered by insurance in your own country or take out a policy in Slovakia.

If you already have a policy, it is best to find your general practitioner straight away — Všeobecný lekár pre dospelých for adults, and Všeobecný lekár pre deti a dorast for children under 18.

The first source where you can find your doctor is this website:

https://www.zzz.sk/zariadenia/slovensko/ordinacia

This is a directory of clinics, hospitals and other medical facilities across Slovakia. On it you can also filter by

which language the doctor should speak

which insurance company you are with, because not every doctor works with every insurer

and whether the doctor is taking on new patients, because with the shortage of doctors a practice may simply have no room for new ones.

 

The second source is your own insurance company

You can go to your insurer’s website and download the list of doctors who work with it. Insurers such as Union or AXA, for example, publish a list of the doctors you can turn to. It is usually easier simply to email your insurance company and ask them to send you the list.

Routine health checks

Once you have successfully registered with a doctor, you should know that there are also routine check-ups. Preventive check-ups cost several times less than treatment, which is why insurance companies themselves insist that you have them regularly. Your insurer’s website should say which check-ups are covered and to what extent. When you visit the doctor you simply show your insurance card (preukaz poistenca), on the basis of which the routine check-up is carried out.

The approximate list of preventive check-ups is as follows:

GP check-ups every two years – for everyone insured from the age of 18;

Paediatric check-ups – 9 check-ups in the first year of life, 1 at 1.5 years, and one every two years from age 3 to 18;

A dental check-up every six months for children under 18, and once a year for adults;

A gynaecologist visit – every year for women from the age of 18, and every month during pregnancy;

A urologist visit – every three years for men over 50.

If you ignore all this, you risk paying for everything yourself if you fall ill, because you did not follow the rules.

What insurance does not cover

Having insurance is no reason to relax: there are plenty of things your insurer may not cover. Not all medical services and medicines are paid for by insurance, and some costs fall on your own pocket.

For example:

some certificates for children’s schools and nurseries;

unscheduled tests you request yourself;

dental services (most of them);

a visit to the doctor without an appointment (emergency care);

many medicines and medical supplies during outpatient treatment.

Emergency medical care

In critical situations you can call an ambulance or go to an emergency medical centre (Pohotovosť).

Telephone numbers:

155 – emergency medical services in Slovakia. The operator speaks Slovak.

112 – the single free number for the emergency services across the EU. In Slovakia you can also call an ambulance on 112. For foreigners it has the added advantage that the operators speak several languages, English always among them. Even so, this number is more often used in situations that need not only medical help but other emergency services too (a road accident or a fire, for example).

00421/ 850 111313 – round-the-clock advice on giving first aid. At present the line operates in Slovak only.

0800 123 232; 0800 121 212; 0820 434 343 – emergency care for children

Emergency medical services (POHOTOVOSTI) by region:

Žilina Region: 041/5110 438, 7233 383 (V.Spanyola), 041/5693666 (Osloboditeľov).

Bratislava Region: 02/63833130 (Strečnianska), 02 /48279257 (poliklinika Ružinov).

Prešov: 051/773 2220, 773 3444

Nitra: 037/654 5288, 651 4259

Trnava: 033/553 6103

Banská Bystrica: 048/414 6666

Trenčín: 032/652 3444, 656 6333

Košice: 16 183

Check the current terms and forms on the official websites: apply for insurance with VšZP and Union insurance terms for foreigners.

Before you go to the doctor, it is worth working out which health insurance you are entitled to and how much it costs.

Expectant mothers will find a separate guide useful: how pregnancy and childbirth work in Slovakia — which doctors provide the care, what insurance covers and which payments you are entitled to.

Health insurance covers your health but not your home: it is worth separately taking out flat and house insurance in Slovakia — it covers water damage, fire and damage caused to neighbours.

Going on holiday outside Slovakia? A state policy is barely valid abroad — read about how travel insurance from Slovakia works and what it covers.

Glasses and contact lenses

Eye tests are done by an ophthalmologist or at an optician’s. The first contact lens fitting must always be done in person: the specialist measures the curvature of your cornea and works out the parameters, which you cannot guess on your own.

But once you have the prescription in hand, repeat orders are easier and cheaper to make online. Alensa.sk — a large shop for lenses, glasses and solutions with delivery across Slovakia; when ordering you simply enter the parameters from your prescription. Do not switch lens brand without consulting your doctor, though: material and oxygen permeability differ between manufacturers.

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