Emergency Medical Service Price List – 1800 kuna for resuscitation, 350 for stomach washing

As of June 1, 2013, the Emergency Medical Service in Zadar has introduced a price list for all patients who come to the Emergency Room but do not actually need assistance.

Resuscitation – 1800 kuna, removal of a foreign body from the eye, ear, and nose – 150 kuna, stomach washing – 350 kuna, removal of a superficial foreign body – 250 kuna, treatment of a superficial wound – 180 kuna, surgical treatment of a wound in one layer – 300 kuna, is just part of this price list.

It is important to emphasize that insured patients in emergency situations still do not pay anything. Emergency situations include stings, injuries, bites, cuts, breathing problems, allergies, choking, severe pain in the lungs, and any other conditions in which the patient’s health is currently severely compromised, said Davorka Krnčević, director of the Emergency Medical Institute of Zadar County, for Zadarski list.

However, the problem is that it is only through a doctor’s assessment that it is determined whether the patient’s condition is urgent or not. The doctor first examines the patient and then informs them whether the condition is non-urgent or urgent and asks when their family doctor is available. If the patient’s condition is non-urgent, but they still insist on treatment with us, the doctor warns them that they will have to pay for that service and how much, explains Krnčević.

According to data from the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, out of one and a half million emergency interventions, which include outpatient examinations and field visits, in Croatia during 2012, as much as 67 percent, or one million interventions, were unnecessary.

The first bill was received by an 18-year-old woman from Zadar who came to the Emergency Room due to dehydration and left with a bill of 350 kuna. So far, patients have been charged for about ten treatments.

Index also requested an explanation from HZZO. The statement emphasizes that pregnant women, children, and 100 percent disabled individuals who have health insurance in the Republic of Croatia are exempt from charges for non-urgent services, regardless of whether they are urgent or non-urgent cases.

Therefore, if you feel unwell, you must check whether the Emergency Medical Service treats your ailment for free or charges for it. The safest option is to have 1800 kuna in your pocket, as non-urgent treatments in the Emergency Medical Service range from 50 to 1800 kuna, adds the director.

If the emergency service assesses that you did not need assistance, but they have already responded to the scene, they will charge you 700 kuna.