Slovakia and Czech Republic confront e‑health implementation challenges

From 1 July, physicians in Slovakia must record every service in the electronic health system eZdravie, otherwise insurers will not reimburse the care. Hospital doctors have lagged behind private practitioners, prompting warnings from Mongi Msolly, president of the Association of State Hospitals of Slovakia, that missing entries will lead to unpaid fees.

In the Czech Republic, seven months after mandatory electronic prescribing of medical devices, more than 3.8 million e‑vouchers have been issued. Patients now receive over 95 % of vouchers digitally, but the system suffers from short‑validity vouchers, a rule allowing only one item per voucher, and costly SMS notifications. Tomáš Boráň, director of the State Institute for Control of Medicinal Products (SÚKL), urged changes such as multiple items per voucher and a broader rollout of the e‑prescription app, which could save millions of crowns.

Both countries are dealing with practical flaws as they transition to fully digital health records and prescriptions, highlighting administrative burdens for doctors and financial pressures on health insurers.