TIME AVAILABILITY & LOCAL / GEOGRAPHICAL ACCESSIBILITY
The time and local availability of health care in the Czech Republic is determined by the legal norm. Every insured citizen of the Czech Republic has guaranteed health care. The law sets the time limits for the provision of medical services. The law establishes the maximum travel time from the place of residence of the patient to ambulance specialists and health facilities, which guarantees the availability of individual health services to every citizen.
- general practitioner, paediatrician, dentist, gynaecologist, pharmacy: up to 35 min
- basic specialized departments (surgery, diabetology, internal): up to 45 min
- more specialized departments (cardiac surgery): 60 to 120 min
- bed care in basic areas: up to 60 min
- bed care in other specializations: up to 180 min
- time of rescue services: within 20 minutes from notifying
- In addition, the law establishes a maximum time limit for scheduled (non-acute) medical procedures and examinations:
- hip replacement: within 52 weeks
- cataract surgery: within 30 weeks
- endoscopic examination: within 4 weeks
- magnetic resonance imaging: within 5 weeks
Note: Financial availability – see also “Financing healthcare”.
Resources:
1/ Dostupnost zdravotních služeb. Available from: www.lkcr.cz/…/307-2012-o-mistni-a-casove-dostupnosti-zdravotnich-sluzeb-100482….(2018-02-14)
2/ Dostupnost hrazených služeb. Available from: http://www.mzcr.cz/KvalitaABezpeci/obsah/dostupnost-hrazenych-sluzeb-_3440_29.html (2018-02-14)