How to get Healthcare in Lithuania for foreigners?
There may be times when you will need a hospital or you will need a doctor for a health check in Lithuania. Here is the information you need about healthcare in Lithuania as a foreigner.
Healthcare for non-residents
Foreigners who are not residents of Lithuania may get health services in either public or private clinics by paying the cost of services they want to take. The costs of health services in public clinics are significantly cheaper than private hospitals.
In case you are holding a european health insurance card (EHIC) you may get medical care in Lithuania. Here is some information about how to apply for and how to use an EHIC card in European Commission’s website about EHIC.
And here is the detailed “Information About Healthcare Available to European Insurance Card Holders in Lithuania“
According to European commission website:
Doctors & hospitals accepting the EHIC in Lithuania that have a contract with the territorial health insurance funds are listed inside below websites grouped by location. All websites are Lithuanian only.
Healthcare for residents:
Foreigners who are insured by the compulsory health insurance in Lithuania can benefit from the free healthcare system in Lithuania.
To be eligible for the compulsory health insurance foreigner should either comply with one of the following conditions:
- permanently residing in the Republic of Lithuania;
- temporarily residing in the Republic of Lithuania, provided that they legally employed in the Republic of Lithuania. In case the foreigner is eligible for compulsory insurance so their minor members of their families also qualify to be insured as well.
If you are eligible for compulsory health insurance you or your employer should pay the monthly contribution amounts in order for your insurance to take effect.
If you are insured, the next step will be to register yourself to a public clinic.
How to register to a public clinic in Vilnius?
Never wait to get sick to complete your registration with a health institution. It is highly recommended that you should get registered to your clinic and to your doctor as soon as you are eligible to do so.
Which hospital to go to?
Before registering to a public health institution it would be good to choose which one you will prefer to be registered. The most common practice is to choose the one which is most quickly accessible to where you live.
Here are the links to most of the clinics you can apply:
- Lazdynų poliklinika
- Šeškinės poliklinika
- Karoliniškių poliklinika
- Antakalnio poliklinika
- Vilniaus rajono centrinė poliklinika
- Centro poliklinika
- Naujosios Vilnios poliklinika
- Naujininkų poliklinika
- Vilniaus universiteto ligoninės Santaros klinikos
Another important criterion is the language that you will communicate with your doctor. You may consider finding a general practitioner (family doctor) who you can communicate with one of the languages you speak. After selecting the clinic you can ask for this detail before you are assigned a family doctor. In case there is no available doctor that you can communicate with, you may prefer to change the clinic that you will be registered in.
Does Lithuania have free healthcare for insured people?
Although most of the services are completely free, there are times you may need to partially or fully contribute to the cost.
Detailed information about when patients need to pay for treatment at a medical institution can be found here.
When you made your mind about which clinic to be registered, you should go personally with your ID to the clinic. After filling out and signing the forms, your registration will be completed.
It’s good to learn in advance how to make an appointment with your doctor in case you need. Appointments can be made either by phone or via the internet system of your clinic.