Czech Republic - Health Care System

For traveling to the Czech Republic, immunizations are neither prescribed nor currently recommended.

Citizens of the EU (European Union) are free to undergo medical treatment in all member countries of the EU. The Czech Republic has made long-term investments of one-fifth (18%) of its national budget in its health care system. This is almost twice as much as its education system (10%) as almost four times as much as in its military (5%). The health care system is designed in such a way that basic health care is guaranteed for all citizens of the Czech Republic in the context of their health insurance. For this, every citizen is obligated to make insurance payments into public health insurance coverage. Prior to treatment in another country, one can seek out a local doctor and have a concrete treatment and cost plan drawn up. On the basis of this plan, the attending doctor in the Czech Republic can develop their own treatment and cost plan, allowing for an easy comparison of the pricing. This plan includes the applied treatment methods and materials.

Once treatment has been decided on, an exact appointment date, specific treatments, and their duration are absolutely necessary in order to achieve the best results. Thus, one should also remember to take all necessary documentation such as x-ray photographs, immunization records, allergy identification records, etc.

In the Czech Republic, attending doctors are often able to speak several languages. Additionally, there are EU-wide obligations of guarantee and there are increasingly uniform European-wide standards for health care. For treatment, more affordable prices are often offset by lower fees with usually comparable quality. Because the costs of accommodations, food, and travel are incurred in any case, connecting these to a stay in Prague or in the previously mentioned health resorts is recommendable. Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně are aglow with thermal springs whose healing effects have long been famous. The alkaline sodium sulphate sources are said to work wonders for all kinds of ailments. All of these spas attract visitors with beautiful parks, a nostalgic-noble inner city, and a fabulous position in the landscape.

The Czech Republic is also interesting for its "health tourism". According to a ranking list from the Forbes Agency, the Czech Republic ranks among the top 10 travel destinations for health tourists. Especially worthy of mention in this domain is plastic surgery (cosmetic operations), but orthopaedic and dental treatments are also performed successfully. Additionally, infertility treatments (artificial insemination) and other treatments which address an unfulfilled desire for children can be undertaken cost-effectively in the Czech Republic. Around 1/5 of all plastic surgery procedures in the Czech Republic are performed on foreign patients. Commonly practiced procedures are breast enhancements, eyelid operations, and liposuction, as well as breast "lift" and reduction, face lifts, nasal corrections, hair transplants, and so on. In order to make these procedures as pleasant and simple as possible for the patient, many of the respective doctors help with the organization of the trip. Additionally, these doctors can attest to a high degree of specialisation and generally have lengthy experience.

Moreover, the Czech Republic points to outstanding successes and improvements in operations and other medical procedures. Indeed, in 2005, doctors in Brno transplanted three organs from one donor - heart, kidney, and liver - at the same time. In 2003, the first "mechanical heart" was installed which functioned as a temporary device until the live heart was transplanted, an operation without equal at that time. In addition, the General Hospital in Prague is the first hospital in Central and Eastern Europe to work with the "Amplichip", a device used to avoid overdosing. The most recent great success was at the end of 2005 which saw the first operation executed with the help of a robot. Czech hospitals thus operate at a world-class level.

Sources:
Brockhaus Enzyclopedia 
ess-europe de
European Centre for Customer Information - Kiel
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
The official travel site for czech tourism
wikipedia