Slovakia

1. Is the paediatric practice public or private?

In Slovakia, there is a complete network of primary care paediatricians covering all areas of the country, who take care of ALL children (insured by law) until the age of   18 years + 365 days (or until completing their education). Therefore, paediatrics is not a part of the family medicine curriculum (or one can rather call it general medicine curriculum) at all.

98% primary care paediatricians are private . Some of them with specialization in adolescent medicine (70%) supply health care up to 26 years.

Secondary health pediatric care (from age 0 to 18 years) is an hospital based care. All faculty hospitals and bigger hospitals are public. Smaller regional hospitals are directed by regional governments, cca 10% of them is private.

Tertiary pediatric care (specialists in pediatric cardiology, pediatric pulmonology and phtiseology, pediatric immunology and allergology, pediatric rheumatology, pediatric gastroenterology, hematology and nutrition, pediatric endocrinology, diabetology and metabolic diseases, pediatric neurology, pediatric nephrology, pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric hematology and oncology, intensive medicine in pediatrics, pediatrics anesthesiology, surgery based pediatric specializations such as pediatric orthopedy...) is an hospital based care in 40% and private in 60%.

2. Is it mandatory?
From the point of preventive examinations and vaccination, the pediatric practice is mandatory.

3. Is the paediatric practice only confided to paediatrician or can a general practitioner take it in charge?

The pediatric care is confided to pediatricians only.

4. Lists of paediatric centres / associations

. Slovak Pediatric Society
    Dept.of Pediatric anesthesiology and intensive medicine
    Slovak health university
    Limbova 1
    833 03 Bratislava
    Slovak Republic
    President: Prof. MUdr Tibor Sagat
    E-mail: sagat@dfnsp.sk
    Website: www.sls-sps.sk

Prevention of childhood obesity in Slovakia