Excellent Health Care
The health care system in Serbia is based on mandatory medical insurance, while several local agencies provide private health insurance. Expats in Serbia will be liable for full medical costs, unless covered by insurance as envisaged by the bilateral health insurance treaty between their country of origin and Serbia.
Health insurance treaties can be divided into the following three groups:
- Health care expenses are covered both in Serbia and in the country of origin (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, and the Netherlands);
- Health care expenses are covered in the country where a person temporarily resides (Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia);
- Health care expenses are covered in the country of origin only, with the possibility of reimbursing expenses incurred in Serbia (Switzerland and Scandinavian countries).
Citizens of the abovementioned countries enjoy medical protection in all public healthcare institutions. In order to use this right, they need to be registered with the Republic Health Insurance Fund.
If your country of origin is not included in one of the three groups, numerous private polyclinics and hospitals are available. Most local private medical centers and dental clinics use the latest technology, providing high quality medical services at significantly lower prices compared to Western countries. If insurance premium does not cover medical or dental treatment costs, one will have to pay around €25 for physical examination. The costs of other services depend on the type of treatment.
Public hospitals and private clinics have 24-hour accident and emergency departments, where medical treatment for both residents and non-residents is free-of-charge. In case of emergency, dial 94.
Contact details of medical institutions can be found at: www.expat.org.yu.
