Czech health ministry delays e‑request rollout and expands GP powers

The Ministry of Health, led by Adam Vojtěch, has postponed the mandatory implementation of electronic medical requests (e‑žádanky) to 1 July 2027, adopting a more cautious strategy after strong resistance from physicians during the rollout of electronic driver‑licence assessments. Director of the National Centre for e‑Health Petr Foltýn said earlier optimistic savings projections of tens of billions of crowns were "extremely optimistic" and that realistic short‑term savings are now estimated at 5‑10 billion CZK, still a considerable sum for the state budget.

The ministry is shifting from forcing doctors onto new portals to integrating e‑requests into existing practice software, a move that requires substantial technical work and funding. Major software supplier CompuGroup Medical noted that while large hospitals have received IT upgrade subsidies, smaller private clinics have not, prompting the ministry to develop grant programmes to support them. Laboratory operators such as Unilabs and Synlab expect no major revenue loss, arguing that digitalisation will improve efficiency rather than cut test volumes.

Separately, the ministry has been praised by patient groups and unions for expanding the competencies of general practitioners and advancing digital tools, including e‑requests and waiting‑time management systems. However, experts stress that deeper structural reforms are still needed, particularly in public health‑insurance financing, staffing shortages, and the transition to self‑governing insurance models.