Medical treatment

Your valid EHIC card allows you to receive a standard medical treatment at polish medical institutions. You can benefit from health services in the following areas:

• primary health care,
• specialist out-patient care,
• hospital treatment,
• dental treatment,
• rescue service and ambulance transport.  

It is important to register an appointment to a doctor or at a clinic, which has contract with the Polish public health insurance system (NFZ (National Health Fund - www.nfz.gov.pl) . Otherwise you would need to pay for the visit.

Get familiar with its conditions and instructions what to do when you need a medical treatment (all of this information is included within insurance or in an appendix to it). Usually, it works like that – firstly you need to pay for a visit, and after that you need to contact your health insurance company in order to receive refund.

The non-EU students can sign a contract of voluntary health insurance with Polish National Health Fund (pl Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia "NFZ"). 
If you are interested in this option, you are asked to inform about it our Office. 
Note: your Mentor help is highly recommended. 

Here you may read about the rules of contract.

Contact to National Health Fund in Krakow:

Małopolski Oddział Wojewódzki NFZ w Krakowie
24 Batorego str,
30-135 Krakow
Infoline: (+4812) 9488
E-mail: nfz@bci.krakow.pl
Monday: 08:00-17:00
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 08:00-16:00
Friday: 08:00-15:00

If you have a medical problem, you may register an appointment to a doctor or at a clinic (pl przychodnia), which has contract with the Polish public health insurance system (NFZ - National Health Fund). In this case, you do not have to pay for the consultation. If you have a private insurance, it would be necessary to get familiar with its conditions. You probably need to pay for a visit first, and after that you need to contact your health insurance company in order to receive refund.

Once you are at the doctor’s, show your European Health Insurance Card or a replacement certificate in order to be examined or have a consultation. Have with you your valid ID card or passport – it can also be needed to identify you. In case it is necessary, you will receive a referral to diagnostic tests, to a specialist or to a hospital.

When you come to a clinic go directly to the registration point (pl rejestracja) and arrange an appointment with a family doctor (pl: internista/ lekarz rodzinny) who will give you a prescription (pl recepta) or refferal (pl skierowanie) to diagnostic tests, to a specialist or to a hospital if needed. 
In Poland a referral is required if you want to visit a specialist. However, no referral is required to following specialists: obstetrician, dentist, dermatologist, venereologist, oncologist, psychiatrist.
When hospitalized, operations, diagnostic tests, and medicines are provided free of charge.

Please, keep in your mind that you may encounter there the language barrier. Therefore, we recommend you contact your mentor to accompany you if possible.

Clinic we proposed: Scanmed (English speaking staff and intructions).

• In case of needed urgent medical help after 06:00 p.m. till 8 a.m. or during the weekend go to the Night Care Point (pl Nocna i świąteczna opieka zdrowotna) – addresses are available here.
• In case of life-threatening conditions or immediate need for diagnosis and treatment you can go to Emergency Department (pl SOR) which you can find here and here.

Embrace yourself with patience – you might wait there for a long time depending on your health condition.

There are several pharmacies open 24 hours (pl Apteki całodobowe) which can be found here.

What should I do if suspect I am infected?

You need to register an appointment to a doctor. It is only possible by calling to a clinic. We offer you a Scanmed - +48 12 629 88 00. 

You may also contact to the Patient Information of the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ).