Czechs show little interest in hospitals' above-standard care

Prague, Feb 24 (CTK) - Patients in the Czech Republic are not very interested in paid extra care they can have since January 2012, Health Ministry spokeswoman Viktorie Plivova told CTK yesterday.

According to a survey conducted among hospitals across the country, the interest in better eye lenses, vaccination and light plaster is small, Plivova said.

Some 30-40 million crowns have been collected for paid extra care in the first half of last year, she added.

In all, the Czech health care system consumes some 300 billion crowns.

The list of paid extra care includes 18 items.

Before 2012, all treatment was considered standard care that is covered from the compulsory health insurance. Patients only paid for some dental services and some low cash fees were introduced, such as 30 crowns for visiting a doctor. It is common practice, however, that patients pay doctors unofficially for special treatment.

Plivova said after the new system had been introduced last year, interest in it surged between January and February and then it was continually increasing.

However, hospital representatives say the demand is small.

Patients mainly want to have extra-equipped rooms, primarily in maternity clinic, where they pay 300 and even more crowns a day for they stay there.

The proceeds from paid extra care account for just a fraction of hospitals' incomes, having no major impact on their financial management.

The spokeswoman for the Agel company, that manages four hospitals, said the money for paid extra care only constituted 0.5 percent of its incomes.

Representatives of some health facilities say the paid extra care may mean a competitive advantage due to different prices.

On the other hand, a hospital director said paid extra care involved some complications for the health care personnel.

"We have to offer the services to the patients, but most of them refuse them. Subsequently, we have to write this down, which is some more work," the hospital director said.

($1 = 19.341 crowns)