It is not uncommon for patients who would benefit from the services of a family physician to end up in a hospital emergency department. This creates queues at the reception, as priority is given to patients in serious condition.
“Both on holidays and weekends, as well as on weekdays, patients should go to the emergency department of hospitals when there is a real danger to life or health, or there is a threat of serious complications. For example, following suffering an injury, a severe injury, a burn, acute poisoning,” says Dalia Ozolienė, head of the Control Department of the Šiauliai Territorial Sick Fund.
When a person needs urgent help, an ambulance is called immediately by calling 112. For example, following getting into a car accident, following experiencing a stroke or heart attack, following losing consciousness, in such a situation when the patient cannot go to the emergency department himself or there is no time left for it.
In all other cases, you should contact the polyclinic where the person is registered. Many polyclinics and family medicine centers have doctors on call following hours, on weekends or on holidays. Each polyclinic or family medical center must ensure uninterrupted provision of family medical services to patients insured by compulsory health insurance (PSD).
“If the polyclinic or family medicine center does not provide family medicine services continuously, it must have concluded a contract with other health care institutions. Therefore, it is very important for residents to find out in advance where to turn for help, when the medical institution to which a person is registered is not working”, advises D. Ozolienė.
According to the specialist, you can ask your family doctor or the reception staff regarding this. This information must also be published on the bulletin boards of medical institutions and on their websites. It is convenient to find out where to apply for help following working hours on the website of the health insurance fund. Constantly updated information regarding medical institutions and the services they provide throughout the country is collected here.
Patients should consult an on-call doctor in case of acute illness. For example, if you suffer from severe headaches or stomach aches, fever, nausea, blood pressure cannot be regulated with conventional medicines. It should be assessed whether the person needs help later, during the working hours of the polyclinic.
Health insurance companies remind that every medical institution must provide the necessary medical assistance free of charge to all residents of Lithuania – both insured and uninsured. Necessary medical assistance must be provided in any part of the country, regardless of where the patient is registered. For example, a patient is registered at a treatment facility in Šiauliai, but if an accident happens during his stay in Vilnius, he can seek emergency help both at the hospital and at the on-call polyclinic.
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2024-07-11 21:05:50