INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES STUDYING IN HUNGARY

It is always interesting to learn about the culture, the customs, the cuisine and the people of a country you have not visited before. A person’s interest may also turn into excitement when fuelled by a genuine curiosity about the unknown. Visits to foreign countries and longer stays tend to be enjoyable most of the time, but in some cases visitors have to deal with unexpected situations.

Such situations include the need for urgent medical care. Medical problems may be stressful at home, but people may feel even more insecure when they have to find a doctor abroad without speaking the local language or being familiar with local customs.

This brochure will help you find the best medical care as quick as possible in case you have a medical problem. We hope that you will never actually get into a situation when you need to refer to this brochure again.

HEALTH INSURANCE
Similarly to the rest of Europe, you need to have health insurance in order to use medical services.
Depending on your insurance, you either have to pay for healthcare services at the time such services are provided to you against an invoice issued to your insurance company, or your service provider will take care of the paperwork, which means that they will not charge you directly for the services.

You may obtain coverage during your stay in Hungary by choosing one of the following health insurance options:
  • Visitors from EU Member States may present their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a Temporary Replacement Certificate as proof of health insurance coverage in their own countries.
  • Visitors who do not have an EHIC or come from a non-Member State must present a certificate issued in their country of residence as proof of health insurance coverage.
  • Visitors who do not have either of the above certificates may take out health insurance in Hungary:
  • with Hungary’s national healthcare provider: Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár (OEP):
contact details:
address: 1139 Budapest, Teve u. 1/a-c ,
call centre: 06-1-288-5100;        
office hours:     Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 8.00-14.30
                       Wednesday: 8.00-17.30
                       Friday: 8.00-12.00
  • or private health insurance companies. 
Visitors who have an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a Temporary Replacement Certificate may receive medically necessary healthcare services free of charge at national healthcare centres.
Patients with other type of insurance must pay for healthcare services in HUF at the time of using such services against an invoice issued by the service provider.

UNICard
Students of the Semmelweis University may contact our new call centre to gain quick access to quality healthcare services offered by clinics operated by the Semmelweis University. We offer this service because we feel that our students should be able to seek medical assistance from their mother institution in case they are taken ill.
This service is operated by Semmelweis Egészségügyi Kft. (SEK), and offered to you free of charge by the university during the 2009/2010 school year.

During the registration process, you will receive a personal UNICard.

Students with UNICards may:
  • use the SEK medical call centre,
  • receive medical services at clinics operated by the Semmelweis University during and outside working hours.

UNICard allows you to contact the call centre.
  • English speaking operators will inform you about the following:
  • which specific clinic to visit and which doctor to ask for,
  • consultation hours, directions, contact information of SEK representative available during working hours.
  • Further information is also provided on issues such as:
  • health problems, diseases, treatments, health preservation,
  • composition, application, side effects, interchangeability and price of medications,
  • locating all-night pharmacies.

How to use your UNICard
You can call 06-1-461-1591 between 7am and 7pm on working days about any medical problem. Once you have verified your eligibility by stating your UNICard number, an English speaking doctor will tell you which clinic you should visit and give you specific directions. You will also be informed about the procedures you need to follow if you wish to make an appointment. When you visit a clinic, you will need to present you card at the reception, and following brief administrative procedures you will be directed to the appropriate doctor.
Your UNICard cannot be used to replace your health insurance card, so please make sure you also take your insurance documents with you.

ALL-NIGHT MEDICAL SERVICES
You may require medical assistance between 7pm and 7am or bank holidays. Non-stop emergency services are offered throughout Budapest and all major cities with doctors trained in internal medicine. Patients who are able to move should visit the closest all-night medical facility to receive care as soon as possible. All-night facilities always have a doctor on duty, while the ambulance might be on the way and you might have to wait long before the doctor arrives at your house.
However, if you feel that you are unable to visit the facility on duty, you should give them a call. If you live in Budapest, you can choose the closest all-night emergency service from the list at the end of this brochure.

The doctor on duty may take the following action:
  • if you do not require immediate medical attention, your doctor will tell you how to alleviate or remove your symptoms;
  • your doctor may refer you to a specialist you should contact without delay, and provide you with directions; or
  • visit you in your home and decide on the course of action following an initial examination;
  • send an ambulance to pick you up and take you to a hospital.

With the exception of the first option, the above services are provided against a fee. By presenting your EHIC or Temporary Replacement Certificate, you are exempt from payment at the time these services are rendered. Patients without valid health insurance coverage must pay for the above services on the spot. However, if a life-threatening condition exists, healthcare will not be withheld even if a patient has no insurance coverage. Naturally, such services will also be charged for at a later date.

IF YOU NEED URGENT HELP, CALL AN AMBULANCE!
You may call an ambulance  in any situation when the patient/you require(s) urgent medical care, regardless of the patient’s/your nationality and your health insurance status.

You can call an ambulance free of charge on: 104.

Cases when you must call an ambulance:
  • a life-threatening condition exists or is suspected (unconscious patient, serious bleeding caused by whatever injury etc.);
  • accidents, injuries, any kind of poisoning;
  • childbirth in progress, pregnancy related medical problems;
  • if the patient is in extreme pain or has other worrying signs and symptoms (e.g. choking sensation, heavy breathing, paralysis etc.);
  • behavioural problems which jeopardize the life of the patient or others.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:
National emergency call service in Hungary: 112.
As a general rule, this number should be called if an emergency requires assistance from the Ambulance and/or the Fire Service and/or the Police.

Semmelweis Egészségügyi Kft. is committed to helping all foreign students of Semmelweis University to pursue their studies without distractions from health problems during their stay in Hungary. Based on our existing and future experience, we are continuously developing our services to make you feel safe in your home away from home.
Please visit www.unicardinfo.hu for further information about the services offered to UNICard holders.
You can log on to this website using your personal UniCard number.
You may also contact Semmelweis Kft. at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Our coordinators, who are in direct contact with clinic practitioners, will be happy to assist you with any enquiry. Please feel free to send us your comments to the above address to help us improve our services.

These services and instructions are provided to you in the hope that you will never actually get in a situation when you need them during your stay. We hope you will enjoy being a student in Hungary, and wish you great success in your studies.

 If you need help

assistant phone: (+36 1) 461 1591
from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm every working day

All the information provided by the Call-center is only for information purpose, do not replace the personal medical examination!