Reality shows that Ukrainians often face difficulties in receiving medical care in European countries, so they are forced to go home for treatment. Despite the high level of medical technology in many European countries, problems arise in the context of the availability of medical services, especially for refugees and migrants.
Problems of treatment abroad
- Queues for medical services. In many European countries, especially in public clinics, patients face long queues for consultations and examinations. For example, in Germany or Poland, an appointment with narrow specialists, such as surgeons or cardiologists, can take several months. For Ukrainians who are used to quick access to medical services in their native country, this causes outrage.
- High cost of private medicine. Although public medicine is available in most European countries, the quality of service and long waiting times often push Ukrainians to turn to private clinics. But the cost of services from private doctors abroad is much higher than in Ukraine, which is also a serious financial barrier.
- Misunderstanding due to language barrier. Another common problem is the language barrier. Even in cases where Ukrainians have access to quality medical care in Europe, they face difficulties in communicating with doctors, which complicates diagnosis and treatment.
- Search for Ukrainian doctors abroad. Because of these factors, Ukrainians often start looking for opportunities to receive consultations from their native doctors even abroad. Many emigrant doctors from Ukraine continue to practice abroad, and Ukrainian patients actively seek such contacts. Thanks to the development of telemedicine, some Ukrainian doctors even provide online consultations to their patients from other countries.
- Peculiarities of approaches to treatment. Ukrainians also often complain about differences in treatment approaches. Certain methods of diagnosis and therapy are common in Ukraine, which are sometimes lacking in European clinics, which can cause distrust or dissatisfaction among patients.
How to get medical help abroad
Doctors from different countries of the world come to help Ukrainians who need medical advice or treatment. They provide free medical care through the site doctors4ua.com, where you can register as a patient and receive help in the form of text, audio or video consultations.
The application offers a similar service Viveohealth. Using this service, you can get a free medical consultation in Ukrainian, Russian or English. First, you need to download the application and register, after which you can find the specialist you need and arrange a “virtual appointment” via video or audio communication.
Medical assistance for Ukrainians in Germany
Via the site arzt-auskunft.de you can find specialists who are nearby and speak Ukrainian, Russian or other languages that interest you. The site offers a similar service doctolib. On the resource thieme.de you will find a German-Ukrainian dictionary containing important words, terms and phrases for visiting doctors in Germany.
Ukrainian refugees can also receive a doctor’s consultation via video link or by phone. Specialists speak Ukrainian, Russian or English. More information can be found on the website fernarzt.com.
On the Ukrainian platform Doctors for Ukrainians you can find doctors of various specialties in different cities of Germany. Citizens of Ukraine seeking asylum in Germany and suffering from cancer can contact the nearest medical center. These clinics have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases.
Treatment in Poland
Ukrainians have access to such free medical services as:
- consultations of family doctors and calling an ambulance;
- specialized outpatient care;
- diagnostic studies as directed by a doctor;
- treatment in a hospital;
- psychiatric care;
- rehabilitation (except resort areas);
- dental services.
In order to receive assistance, you must have a foreign passport of a citizen of Ukraine with a note about crossing the border no earlier than February 24, 2022 or another document that confirms the date of crossing the Polish border, and a Polish PESEL number, which must be obtained upon arrival.
To find the necessary medical institution, you can contact the information line of Poland at the number 800190590, which is open 24 hours a day. On days when primary care medical facilities are closed, Ukrainians can use the teleplatform by calling 800 137 200.
The following services are available as part of the First Contact Teleplatform:
- medical consultation in Ukrainian;
- electronic prescription;
- electronic referral to a doctor;
- electronic sick leave;
- referral for SARS-COV-2 test.
The teleplatform works:
- from Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 08:00 the next day;
- on weekends and holidays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next day.
Medical consultations in Slovakia
If you are traveling through Slovakia, have temporary protection or seek asylum, you are entitled to free basic and emergency medical care. In case of a medical emergency, you can call 155 (Ambulance) or 112 (Single European Emergency Number).
If you need medical advice, you can use one of the available services:
- Quick medical consultation: after calling +421-2-21025075, you will be connected to a qualified operator who speaks Ukrainian. After explaining the problem, you will be suggested the best way to solve it. The line is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., consultations are free.
- Consultation with a specialist: if necessary, the operator will arrange for you an online or telephone consultation with the following specialists: pediatrician, therapist, neurologist, infectious disease specialist, diabetologist.
Cancer patients from Ukraine can contact the National Cancer Institute (NOÚ) at ukrajina@nou.sk. Reception is held in the NOÚ main building, first floor, room #144, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Association Lymphoma also offers help to Ukrainian cancer patients.
Invalidity
International Rehabilitation Center AXIS accepts refugee families with children with disabilities. Coordinator Roman Bass (bas@axis-medical.eu, +421 949 829 238) provides all the necessary information.
- Assistance for the hearing impaired: deafstudio.net.
- Help for families with children with autism spectrum disorder: andreas.sk.
Medical care in Italy
Hotline for Ukrainians in Italy for all issues — 1500 (works around the clock; from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. there is support in Ukrainian and Russian languages).
To make an appointment with a doctor in Italy, you can use one of the following services:
- doctorsinitaly.com (for English-speaking doctors);
- idoctors.it;
- doctolib.it;
- miodottore.it.
In many regions of Italy there are free hotlines for information about medical services:
- Tuscany region: toll-free number 800556060.
- Lazio region: free number 800 938 873.
- Lombardy region: toll-free number 800 894 545.
Medical assistance for Ukrainians in Switzerland
If you need urgent care, you can go to any hospital — to the department Emergency, where you will be consulted and provided with the necessary assistance. This requires a passport and preferably confirmation of registration at the refugee center (Bestätigung). There is no need to pay for the treatment, even in the case of complex operations, as the costs are covered by the insurance company after obtaining the S permit.
There is a medical center in Zurich Permanence, which works without weekends and queues from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Free hotline for medical advice throughout Switzerland in English and German — 058 387 77 20 (Ukrainian language may be added soon).
In Winterthur, medical centers are available at the train station (from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and at the cantonal hospital (from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.). In case of an emergency, you can contact the emergency department of the cantonal hospital (open 24/7) or call the hotline 0800 33 66 55 for an urgent consultation or by number 144 (ambulance) in case of a threat to life.
The Cancer Counseling and Information Service provides counseling over the phone Cancer phone Cancer Leagues Cancer League.
The Ukrainian Health Care Center has published a list of doctors and hospitals that provide free medical care to Ukrainians in various European countries. For Ukrainians who lost their limbs as a result of the war, the possibility of free prosthetics appeared in the USA.
Medical assistance for Ukrainians in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, Ukrainians who need medical advice or treatment can contact hospitals and doctors who provide free medical care in Ukrainian or Russian. If you need emergency help, you should call the number 112.
Medical care in the Netherlands
A special website has been created in the Netherlands for Ukrainians living in the country. If you have health problems, the first thing you should do is consult a general practitioner. This also applies to pregnancy, the need for medical help, or if you are experiencing psychological problems such as insomnia, fears or persistent depressive thoughts.
More detailed information about medical care can be found on the specialized pages for people with disabilities and for those who need psychological support. If you need an interpreter, available resources for this are also described on the relevant pages.
