HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN LITHUANIA

Services available under EU Regulation 1408/71 during a temporary stay in Lithuania

The information for insured persons who come to Lithuania from European Union and Liechtenstein, Norway, Island and Switzerland

The State Patient Fund under the Ministry of Health of Lithuania (SPF) is competent institution responsible for benefits in kind of sickness and maternity. Compulsory health insurance in Lithuania is implemented by State Patient Fund and 5 local Territorial Patient Funds (TPF).

When you visit Lithuania, please hold with you one of these documents confirming your entitlement to reimbursement of health care services:

• European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
• Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC)
• Certificate E 106
• Certificate E 109

Your family members who are visiting Lithuania together with you have to hold their EHIC or the certificate E 106 or E 109.

If you (or your family members) have EHIC, you are entitled to necessary medical care services which are free of charge in the health care institutions belonging to the Lithuanian National Health System. The list of the health care providers which belong to the Lithuanian National Health System (that means - have signed a contract with the TPF) you could find on the website http://www.vlk.lt/vlk/en/?l=cont_int. Each doctor consulting you as a patient has to take into account the planned length of your stay in Lithuania. According to the EU legislation you are entitled to obtain the required medical treatment with a view to prevent you from being forced to return to your competent country until you have planned.

You don't need to register at TPF if you (or your family members) have EHIC. If you don't have any document confirming your entitlement to reimbursement of health care services or it was lost/stolen, please, contact the closest TPF. TPF will refer to your competent institution with request to send you a provisional replacement certificate.

In the case if you own E106 (or your family members have certificate E 106 or E 109) you must register at TPF as soon as possible after arrival to Lithuania. Then, TPF will issue the Lithuanian health insurance certificate for you (or for your family members). The holders of the Lithuanian health insurance certificate can get free of charge all kind of medical care (not only the necessary medical care) at health care institutions belonging to Lithuanian National Health System.

If you will seek medical care at the institutions that do not belong to the Lithuanian National Health System, you will have to cover all the expenses of medical services by yourself and these expenses will be not reimbursed.

When applying to private medical institutions, ask if they have a contract with TPF for providing medical care free of charge.

How do you get treatment by a general practitioner?

Please, contact any general practitioner in the Primary Health Care Centre/Institution which has signed a contract with the TPF. You have to present your EHIC or PRC and an identification card or passport at the registry. Then - medical consultation will be provided free of charge.

If you have Lithuanian health insurance certificate you as an ordinary Lithuanian resident can choose any general practitioner and ask him to register you on his list. In the case of necessity you can call this doctor and ask to pay a visit to you at your home (when you are very sick and that is really necessary). Such home visits are free of charge. If you don't know what primary health care institution/primary health care provider to choose, please, contact TPF and ask for the help.

How do you get treatment by a specialist?

If you need treatment by a specialist, you require a referral from a general practitioner. The specialist should also be from the Primary Health Care Centre/Institution which has signed a contract with the TPF. Then a consultation and treatment is free of charge. The referral is not obligatory only in the case of emergency. You have to present your EHIC or PRC and passport or an identification card in the registry. If you seek for consultation without referral you have to pay for the consultation by yourself and your expenses will be not reimbursed.

How do you get dental treatment?

Dental examination is free of charge in the clinics, which have signed contracts with TPF, except the expenses for the material substances used for the dental treatment. Please notice, that most of the dentists (odontologists) are working on a private basis and don't have contracts with TPF.

If you have Lithuanian health insurance certificate and if you have chosen the general practitioner and you are already enrolled into his patient's list, please, contact your doctor and he will refer you to the dentist (odontologist) with whom he has signed the contract. In that case you will pay only for the material substances used for the dental treatment.

How do you get hospital treatment?

In the case of emergency you can go directly to the hospital, which has a contract with TPF. You have to present your EHIC or PRC and an identification card or passport in the registry. There is no charge for those eligible under EU regulations. For scheduled hospital treatment, you will need to be referred by a general practitioner or a specialist.

How do you get medicines?

The Ministry of Health of Lithuania has approved the official Price lists of medicinal products where basic prices and co-payments are indicated. The basic prices are reimbursed by the State Patient Fund and co-payments are paid by patients themselves. There are 3 lists of medicinal products and 4 levels of reimbursements: 100%, 90%, 80% and 50% of basic price. You need to receive a prescription from your general practitioner or specialist. All patients must pay co-payment accordingly to the levels of reimbursement in a pharmacy. If some certain drug is not included into the Price list - patient has to pay the whole price by himself/herself. It is necessary to present your EHIC or PRC and an identification card or passport in a pharmacy.

How do you get transport to a hospital?

If you need to make an Ambulance call, please, use telephone number "03" or "112". There are no charges for ambulance transport in the cases of emergency.

How to get services of dialysis in Lithuania?

Information for persons coming from other countries than European Union and Liechtenstein, Norway and Island, and Switzerland, and for person who are not insured in EU and Liechtenstein, Norway and Island, and Switzerland.

Please, insure your health privately before you come to Lithuania. You will have to pay for all the health care services by yourself and then your insurance company should reimburse your expenses.

STATE PATIENT FUND OF LITHUANIA