philipwx
9 May 2010
Life / Important: A Good Medical Center with English speaking doctors in Krakow [50]
We have been in Krakow since Aug 1, 2009 and registered last month with the NFZ. My wife is a student and I am not working so NFZ is voluntary costing 46,80 zl per month. Our 6 year old has diabetes so we were a little concerned about what we would find witgh the NFZ. My conclusion so far is they are wonderful. We got our first pediatrician appointment within a few days and the referral to the Endocrinologist was 2 hours, she saw our son that afternoon. The young doctor spent over an hour asking the most relevant questions, an experience that far exceeded our experiences at both Children's Hospital in San Diego and in San Antonio where the doctors always seemed very busy and downright dismissive regarding our son's illness. Last week part of my tooth just fell out so I showed up at a NFZ dentist office the next morning having no idea what to expect. Again, a young female dentist, excellent English took really good care of me. I have learned enough Polish just to get by with basic phrases but have een able to get through the so-called formidable bureaucracy quite easily. The steps you need to follow are (1) get your Pesel #, (2) Go to the NFZ office, ul Baterego in Krakow, and sign up there for NFZ. You will need passports and Pesels for all family members. (3) Go to the ZUS office (ul. Pedichow in Krakow) and show proof of NFZ payment which can be done either online or at the Post Office. This visit has to be made every month by the 15th and you are paying for the month just completed. This stamped form will be requested by your NFZ medical provider on each visit. By the way the NFZ is not for travelers just passing through but for people like us who are living here. If you work here, NFZ is mandatory and will be taken out of your paycheck. Anyway, that's my experience. At all stages of the process the Polish employees have been friendly and helpful and so far the medical care way beyond our expectations.
Philip
We have been in Krakow since Aug 1, 2009 and registered last month with the NFZ. My wife is a student and I am not working so NFZ is voluntary costing 46,80 zl per month. Our 6 year old has diabetes so we were a little concerned about what we would find witgh the NFZ. My conclusion so far is they are wonderful. We got our first pediatrician appointment within a few days and the referral to the Endocrinologist was 2 hours, she saw our son that afternoon. The young doctor spent over an hour asking the most relevant questions, an experience that far exceeded our experiences at both Children's Hospital in San Diego and in San Antonio where the doctors always seemed very busy and downright dismissive regarding our son's illness. Last week part of my tooth just fell out so I showed up at a NFZ dentist office the next morning having no idea what to expect. Again, a young female dentist, excellent English took really good care of me. I have learned enough Polish just to get by with basic phrases but have een able to get through the so-called formidable bureaucracy quite easily. The steps you need to follow are (1) get your Pesel #, (2) Go to the NFZ office, ul Baterego in Krakow, and sign up there for NFZ. You will need passports and Pesels for all family members. (3) Go to the ZUS office (ul. Pedichow in Krakow) and show proof of NFZ payment which can be done either online or at the Post Office. This visit has to be made every month by the 15th and you are paying for the month just completed. This stamped form will be requested by your NFZ medical provider on each visit. By the way the NFZ is not for travelers just passing through but for people like us who are living here. If you work here, NFZ is mandatory and will be taken out of your paycheck. Anyway, that's my experience. At all stages of the process the Polish employees have been friendly and helpful and so far the medical care way beyond our expectations.
Philip