A quarter of people in the Czech Republic face wait times of at least three months for a doctor’s appointment, according to a January survey by the Association of Outpatient Specialists.
Overcrowding in pediatric psychiatric clinics is well known, but access to specialists such as speech therapists, neurologists, and allergists remains highly restricted. Many clinics are fully booked, and while some have extended working hours, appointment availability has not improved due to the growing number of patients.
“Outpatient specialist clinics are fully booked, which inevitably leads to very long wait times for scheduling and attending the first appointment,” representatives of outpatient specialists stated, summarizing the survey results.
A similar survey last year found that wait times for ophthalmologists and pediatric psychiatrists were already extensive. First appointments with speech therapists averaged at least four months, while allergists, gastroenterologists, and cardiologists required waits of around three and a half months.
A year later, the situation remains unchanged. “It’s practically the same,” said Zoryan Yoyko, chairman of the association. “There are neither improvements nor deteriorations, which may be due to the fact that one year is a relatively short period of time.”
Most nephrologists and speech therapists cannot see new patients for at least three months. Over a third of allergists and endocrinologists also have similar wait times. Pediatric psychiatrists remain in the most critical situation, with 80% scheduling new patients at least three months in advance. Even for emergency cases, the estimated wait time is nearly a quarter of a year.
The number of patients is growing faster than the number of available doctors. Health Minister Vlastimil Válek sees shifting some chronic care responsibilities to general practitioners as a partial solution.
“The goal is for patients with recurrent chronic conditions to be monitored by general practitioners, with outpatient specialists stepping in only when changes occur,” Válek said. He noted that since January, general practitioners have been granted expanded powers, including the ability to prescribe a broader range of medications for chronic patients.
However, specialists argue that they are already overburdened, many are approaching retirement, and increasing capacity remains a challenge. While general practitioners can offer psychological support, they cannot replace missing pediatric psychiatrists.
The government aims to ease the strain by redistributing patients among doctors and financially supporting less attractive medical specialties. However, Válek also criticized health insurance companies for not addressing long wait times effectively.
“The ball is in the court of health insurance companies, which should monitor waiting times and explore ways to reduce them. The problem is that chronic patients who come in for regular check-ups may be more financially attractive to some outpatient specialists than new patients,” he said.
