Health care is gradually returning to its typical mode, Health Minister Marek Krajci (OLaNO) stated at a press conference on Thursday, with the head of the Association for the Protection of Patients' Rights Maria Levyova in attendance. Outpatient clinics are already providing full-time health care. Patients should be ordered for examinations by telephone or electronically and follow the physicians' recommendations regarding the time and manner of the examination. The patient should be booked for a specific time so that there are no more than three patients in the waiting room at a time. Due to the situation caused by the novel coronavirus, patients and medical staff wear face masks and use disinfection during the examination.
Experts encourage patients not to delay planned procedures and to find out about possible dates for surgery. "It is no longer necessary to comply with the 14-day quarantine before the planned procedure, nor do patients need a negative test for COVID-19," said the head of the Health Ministry. However, an epidemiological case history is required before the operation. "We urge patients not to be afraid to go to their doctors and undergo preventive examinations, because a disease caught in time can be better treated," said Levyova.
