Presciptions

PRESCRIPTIONS ISSUED IN A COUNTRY OTHER THAN AN EU MEMBER STATE

A foreign national can present prescriptions issued in a country other than EU member states. In this case, the prescription can only be bought at a full price.

Prescriptions have to contain data such as:

the patient’s personal data (name, surname, address),
the international name of the medicine (form, dose, quantity),
date the prescription was issued,
details of the person issuing it, together with a handwritten signature.

It should be remembered that none of the above data concerning the medicine must leave any doubt.

If the international name of the substance is not written in the Latin alphabet, such a prescription cannot be used in Poland.

CROSS-BORDER PRESCRIPTIONS

The rules on the issuing and dispensing of cross-border prescriptions were laid down by a European Parliament Directive. These types of prescriptions were introduced to allow EU citizens to fill prescriptions in all Community countries.In addition to the data that must be included in prescriptions issued in countries other than EU member states, the Regulation of the Minister of Health on medical prescriptions also imposes an obligation to include in cross-border prescriptions.

They must contain data such as:

the patient’s date of birth
the address of the place of performance
the professional title of the person who has issued the prescription,
a direct contact to this person, such as an e-mail address or telephone number.

THE EHIC CARD

The European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC for short, entitles you to receive healthcare services in all EU Member States on the same basis as their citizens. The EHIC is intended to provide access only to essential health services. A foreigner with an EHIC has no right to use additional entitlements, such as the “senior” entitlement, as these are granted only to Polish citizens. Even if a doctor includes such an entitlement on the prescription for a foreigner with an EHIC card, the person filling the prescription is obliged to ignore it.

Eligibility:

IB – invalids of war, repressed persons and their dependent spouses, widows/widowers of fallen soldiers and deceased invalids of war, and civilian blind persons who are victims of warfare.

IW – invalid of war

PO – disabled veterans

WP – professional soldiers, persons performing the duty of training the population in general self-defence, persons performing basic service in civil defence and members of their families, persons performing service in civil defence,

ZK – Meritorious Honorary Blood Donors and Meritorious Honorary Transplant Donors

S – seniors – persons 75 years of age or older.

C – women from the moment a pregnancy is confirmed until 15 days after the planned date of delivery.

WE – veterans of operations outside the country with an established percentage impairment of at least 30%.

Identifiers:

BW – Patients who are entitled to health care services on the basis of a decision of the head (mayor, president) of their municipality.

DN – Persons under 18 years of age

CN – Women during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum.

IN – A person other than the insured person who is entitled to free health care services.

A FOREIGNER WITH AN NFZ CERTIFICATE

The NFZ certificate providing a full range of health care services may be granted by the NFZ to a foreigner who permanently resides on the territory of Poland. It is issued by the branch of the National Health Fund competent for the place of residence of the foreigner. A person in possession of such a certificate may choose his/her family doctor in the same way as a Polish citizen. In this way, he can be entitled to certain entitlements, such as the “senior” entitlement or the “ZK” entitlement, which he can acquire already while residing on the territory of Poland. The certificate, like the EHIC card, has a validity period. As in the case of patients with an EHIC card, a foreigner with an EHIC certificate has the symbol of the country of which he or she is a citizen entered in the field NFZ branch.

FOREIGNERS PERMANENTLY RESIDING IN POLAND WHO DO NOT POSSESS AN EKUZ CARD OR NFZ CERTIFICATE

Foreigners who reside in the territory of Poland on the basis of a work visa or a temporary residence permit in our country as well as those who have a refugee status or who have voluntarily taken out health insurance are covered by the full scope of health insurance.