The general level of health in the Czech Republic has improved a lot in recent years due to the government’s preventive health programs, which focus on immunisation, preventing cancer, smoking and regular health checks.

Home-based care here is lacking. There is little provision for nursing services and the relief of suffering for terminal patients at home. Doctors seldom make house calls.

The State Insurance System
Every citizen, with the exception of designated vulnerable groups, must make mandatory contributions to an approved Czech health insurance company. The General Health Insurance Company (GHIC), known in the country as Vseobecna zdravotni pojistovna, is the largest and only state-controlled insurance company in the country and it covers the majority of people. The Ministry of Health defines the level of care that the GHIC must provide to its clients.

All Czech citizens, registered foreign residents and companies with a base in the country must make regular contributions. Students under 26, dependant children, old age pensioners and vulnerable groups like the disabled are exempt from payment. Some employers pay the full fee on behalf of their employees.

Foreigners who live in the Czech Republic but do not hold permanent residency cards or who are not employed or covered by a reciprocal agreement between their country and the Czech Republic,  do not qualify for treatment under the state funded system, but they can join one of two contractual health insurance schemes provided by the General Health Insurance Company.

The Czech healthcare service is decentralised and operates more like a private medical insurance system. They pay their contributions directly to their health insurance company who in turn pay the treatment providers directly, so there is no need for a reimbursement service.