Getting out of the Western medical bubble can be an eye-opening experience when traveling in Eastern Europe. Things work differently here. Here is some of my firsthand experience with the medical system in Serbia. (This is not to be construed as medical advise, I am not a doctor. This is just some observations I have about medical care.)
Prices
Prices are really cheap compared to American care. If you visit a public hospital in Serbia, it's basically free. If you visit a private clinic, hospital, the prices are a fraction of American prices.
State medical institutions
In Serbia, not so good. They are slow to serve you, and don't really give a fuck. Use the state care at your own risk. Not really worth it. I guess if you're a cheapskate maybe it's worth the hassle.
Private institutions
I would say it depends on the place you visit. There are some pretty good clinics/ hospitals in Belgrade. The doctors are paid a lot better than public sector doctors. As a result, corruption is a lot less rampant, and there are higher levels of competency. You really should choose a private institution for care because you will get much better service, and possibly, better access to newer medical technologies.
Medical tourism
This may depend on the country in EE, but in Serbia, it's happening. Private clinics have a lot of their materials in English, saw foreigners there, and it's an emerging sector of the economy in Serbia. A big draw to Serbia and other places is price. I have heard from other members that medical tourism is a big draw in places like Hungary and Ukraine too.
Emergency care/ Urgent care
Public emergency rooms are overflowing with people. It's a fucking war-zone. If you have a serious problem, I'd go straight to the private hospitals. Otherwise if you can wait it out until normal business hours at a private clinic. I don't know what the cost of an ambulance is, most people with urgent problems get someone to drive them to the hospital, or if they have the money they get a taxi. If i'm not mistaken, the current bed occupancy rate at the hospital I am closest to, is somewhere near 99-100%, with beds spilling out into the hallway, and with the hospital short of space and rooms.
Doctors
I'll start by saying that there is an issue with under-qualified doctors, and doctors that have bought degrees. The good news is that there are plenty of good doctors with good educations and high levels of knowledge. My understanding of the Serbian medical system is that it produces some very good doctors if you take the whole continent of Europe into account. I have found, though, that there is almost more deference to a doctor's judgment here than in the US. People in the US are notorious for sort of putting themselves on the same level as the doctor when they have a visit. In serbia, it seems like that's not the case. Some doctors leave for the West because of wages.
Medical standards
This is not africa. Exercise your common sense. Needles, IVs, etc, need to be new. I can't make this any more clear. Standard of care varies wildly from the private sector to the public sector.
Language
It can be an impediment, but I would say immediately that it's more of an issue in the public system because they're just basically treating exclusively Serbians. None of the stuff in the public institutions is in English. With this being the case, I'd strongly advise you bring along someone with you to translate. That being said, doctors generally have some level of familiarity with english. It should be better at private clinics because they have to "sell" their services rather than give them away for free.
Prescriptions
If I use the US as a reference point, there is a lot less control of certain classes of drugs. (I'm not talking about narcotics or maybe, more accurately, substances that can get you "high") Prices are much more affordable, but my understanding is that you pay even if the visit to the state hospital is free. There are a lot of generics here, and pharmacists are familiar will all that. You may just have to google if you're looking for something in particular.
Medivac
I had a really wise person tell me that getting medivac insurance is a good idea especially if something catastrophic happens (that's probably true). So they can evacuate you to a Western European hospital. Such an evacuation can cost 10000's to get you out to a better hospital if you need lifesaving treatment/surgery. But honestly, if you have no medical issues, you're probably not going to spend the money on it. For sure Serbia is not like the US where there is constant innovation in medicine and access to the absolute newest technologies (I'm talking generally about better american hospitals/ clinics).
That's all I can think of at the moment, but if you have questions I'll be happy to answer them.
~~Dragan~~
Prices
Prices are really cheap compared to American care. If you visit a public hospital in Serbia, it's basically free. If you visit a private clinic, hospital, the prices are a fraction of American prices.
State medical institutions
In Serbia, not so good. They are slow to serve you, and don't really give a fuck. Use the state care at your own risk. Not really worth it. I guess if you're a cheapskate maybe it's worth the hassle.
Private institutions
I would say it depends on the place you visit. There are some pretty good clinics/ hospitals in Belgrade. The doctors are paid a lot better than public sector doctors. As a result, corruption is a lot less rampant, and there are higher levels of competency. You really should choose a private institution for care because you will get much better service, and possibly, better access to newer medical technologies.
Medical tourism
This may depend on the country in EE, but in Serbia, it's happening. Private clinics have a lot of their materials in English, saw foreigners there, and it's an emerging sector of the economy in Serbia. A big draw to Serbia and other places is price. I have heard from other members that medical tourism is a big draw in places like Hungary and Ukraine too.
Emergency care/ Urgent care
Public emergency rooms are overflowing with people. It's a fucking war-zone. If you have a serious problem, I'd go straight to the private hospitals. Otherwise if you can wait it out until normal business hours at a private clinic. I don't know what the cost of an ambulance is, most people with urgent problems get someone to drive them to the hospital, or if they have the money they get a taxi. If i'm not mistaken, the current bed occupancy rate at the hospital I am closest to, is somewhere near 99-100%, with beds spilling out into the hallway, and with the hospital short of space and rooms.
Doctors
I'll start by saying that there is an issue with under-qualified doctors, and doctors that have bought degrees. The good news is that there are plenty of good doctors with good educations and high levels of knowledge. My understanding of the Serbian medical system is that it produces some very good doctors if you take the whole continent of Europe into account. I have found, though, that there is almost more deference to a doctor's judgment here than in the US. People in the US are notorious for sort of putting themselves on the same level as the doctor when they have a visit. In serbia, it seems like that's not the case. Some doctors leave for the West because of wages.
Medical standards
This is not africa. Exercise your common sense. Needles, IVs, etc, need to be new. I can't make this any more clear. Standard of care varies wildly from the private sector to the public sector.
Language
It can be an impediment, but I would say immediately that it's more of an issue in the public system because they're just basically treating exclusively Serbians. None of the stuff in the public institutions is in English. With this being the case, I'd strongly advise you bring along someone with you to translate. That being said, doctors generally have some level of familiarity with english. It should be better at private clinics because they have to "sell" their services rather than give them away for free.
Prescriptions
If I use the US as a reference point, there is a lot less control of certain classes of drugs. (I'm not talking about narcotics or maybe, more accurately, substances that can get you "high") Prices are much more affordable, but my understanding is that you pay even if the visit to the state hospital is free. There are a lot of generics here, and pharmacists are familiar will all that. You may just have to google if you're looking for something in particular.
Medivac
I had a really wise person tell me that getting medivac insurance is a good idea especially if something catastrophic happens (that's probably true). So they can evacuate you to a Western European hospital. Such an evacuation can cost 10000's to get you out to a better hospital if you need lifesaving treatment/surgery. But honestly, if you have no medical issues, you're probably not going to spend the money on it. For sure Serbia is not like the US where there is constant innovation in medicine and access to the absolute newest technologies (I'm talking generally about better american hospitals/ clinics).
That's all I can think of at the moment, but if you have questions I'll be happy to answer them.
~~Dragan~~
