Health and Emergency Care

Moving abroad requires new healthcare arrangements for you and your family. Pediatrician Dr. Kinga Jókay of Rózsakert Medical Center in Budapest offers vital information. 




Call an ambulance for life threatening emergencies
For time-sensitive, life threatening emergencies such as a car accident or a baby turning blue, always call an ambulance (see numbers below). Dr. Jókay recommends calling an ambulance over bringing a child to a hospital. “Hospitals rotate call,” says Dr. Jókay, “so if the parent takes the baby to a hospital without a surgical team on-call, they will be sent away and precious time is wasted”. Ambulances in Hungary are staffed by physicians while in the U.S they may be staffed by paramedics or volunteers.


Central European countries have separate contact numbers for different types of emergencies. Some have both landline and mobile contacts.


Ambulance Reqest/Health-related Emergency Number


Hungary: 104
Czech Republic: 112
Russia: 911
Poland: 112
Slovakia: 155 or 112


Contact your pediatrician for non-life threatening emergencies

Find an on-call, English speaking physician or pediatrician in advance. During non-life threatening emergencies, families should be certain that assistance is available and accessible. There are medical service-providers designed for expatriates. You can find English-speaking staff holding certifications from the United States or U.K.


Make sure your provider is on-call 24 hours/day

Ensure that your service provider will be available at all hours (a large staff is a good indicator). Dr. Jókay cautions that many Hungarian house doctors do not provide alternatives when they are away. 


Kinga Jókay M.D. is an American Trained and Board Certified Pediatrician at Rózsakert Medical Center
telephone: (+36 1) 392-0505
website: www.medical-center.hu


Primary Care Clinics in Budapest

View Clinics in Budapest in a larger map