Emergency and medical care

Emergency phone numbers

  • 112 – Emergency number  → can be used even without SIM card!
  • 999 – Ambulance → if the incident is of a medical nature (danger to health and life)
  • 998 – Fire Brigade → if you need the intervention of the fire brigade (fire, accident on the road, cat on the roof or in a manhole)
  • 997 – Police → if the event is of a criminal nature.
  • 981 – Road Assistance
  • 986 – Municipal Police (“Straż miejska”)

Other useful numbers:

Hospitals

Children’s hospitals

Medical treatment

If you have a medical problem, you may register an appointment to a doctor or at a clinic (in Polish: przychodnia), which has contract with the Polish public health insurance system (NFZ – National Health Fund). In this case, you do not have to pay for the consultation. If you have a private insurance, it would be necessary to get familiar with its conditions. You probably need to pay for a visit first, and after that you need to contact your health insurance company in order to receive refund.

Once you are at the doctor’s, show your European Health Insurance Card or a replacement certificate in order to be examined or have a consultation. Have with you your valid ID card or passport – it can also be needed to identify you. In case it is necessary, you will receive a referral to diagnostic tests, to a specialist or to a hospital.

When you come to a clinic, go directly to the registration point (in Polish: rejestracja) and arrange an appointment with a family doctor (in Polish: internista / lekarz rodzinny), who will give you a prescription (in Polish: recepta) or refferal (in Polish: skierowanie) to diagnostic tests, to a specialist or to a hospital if needed.

In Poland a referral is required if you want to visit a specialist. However, no referral is required to following specialists: obstetrician, dentist, dermatologist, venereologist, oncologist, psychiatrist.

When hospitalized, operations, diagnostic tests, and medicines are provided free of charge.

Emergency medical treatment

Pharmacies