Doctor and pharmacy in Polish: explaining what hurts

💡 At reception you give your name and appointment time and your PESEL; a deklaracja is often needed for new patients. The doctor calls you by surname.

💡 To use a doctor under the NFZ you submit a deklaracja wyboru lekarza POZ (declaration of choice of a primary-care doctor); it needs PESEL and ID. You can change the doctor.

💡 A teleporada is a telephone consultation; the doctor calls within a set time window; afterwards they may issue an e-recepta or e-zwolnienie.

💡 Useful words: gardło (throat), kaszel (cough), katar (runny nose), gorączka (fever), ból głowy (headache), boli mnie... (my ... hurts).

💡 Gdzie boli? is where does it hurt, od kiedy? since when, silnie strongly, kłujący stabbing, tępy dull, stały constant.

💡 Czy bierze pan/pani jakieś leki? means do you take any medication; Czy ma pan/pani alergię? do you have allergies; choroby przewlekłe are chronic illnesses.

💡 A sick note (zwolnienie lekarskie, L4) is issued electronically by the doctor (e-ZLA): it goes itself to ZUS and the employer, paper isn't needed. You tell the doctor who you work for.

💡 The prescription is mostly electronic today (e-recepta): you get an SMS or email with a four-digit code; at the pharmacy you give the code and PESEL and receive the medicine.

💡 Vaccinations are recorded in a karta szczepień (vaccination card) or książeczka szczepień (booklet); bring it with you. The doctor enters new records electronically in the system.

💡 During the examination the doctor says: Proszę rozebrać się do pasa, Proszę głęboko oddychać, Proszę zakasłać; it is over in a few minutes.

💡 You can learn test results at the reception, by phone or in the Internetowe Konto Pacjenta (online patient account); if something is off, the doctor asks you to come in.

💡 An e-recepta arrives as a code by SMS or e-mail; at the pharmacy you give the code and your PESEL; a prescription is usually valid for thirty days; for a repeat you often do not need an appointment.

💡 Bring your child's vaccination record, even a Ukrainian one: the doctor will compare it with the Polish vaccination calendar (kalendarz szczepień); some vaccinations are compulsory in Poland.

💡 For many specialists you need a skierowanie (referral) from the family doctor; today it is electronic (e-skierowanie) and looked up by PESEL.

💡 If the appointment is several months away ask about the lista rezerwowa (reserve list) and cancellations; calling first thing in the morning often helps. You can look for dates in IKP or on pacjent.gov.pl.

💡 Pediatra is the paediatrician. Questions about the child: Ile lat ma dziecko? (how old) and Jaka jest gorączka? (what is the fever).

💡 Badania profilaktyczne are preventive check-ups; some of them are paid for by NFZ free of charge. Ask: Czy to badanie jest bezpłatne?

💡 The okulista tests your eyesight and you buy glasses at a salon optyczny (optician) with a prescription; the NFZ pays part of the cost only in certain cases.

💡 Physiotherapy (fizjoterapia) is prescribed with a referral from a doctor (skierowanie); it must be used within a limited time, so book quickly; bring the referral, an ID and a towel.

💡 A laryngolog (ENT doctor) treats the ear, throat and nose; the doctor says Proszę otworzyć usta (open your mouth) and looks at the throat; medicines are prescribed (recepta).

💡 At the pharmacy you give the four-digit code from the SMS and PESEL; the prescription is read from the system. For some medicines you pay part (refundacja) - it depends on the prescription.

💡 Bez recepty means without prescription, na receptę only with a prescription; ask Co poleca pan/pani na ból głowy? The pharmacist will advise and warn about side effects.

💡 Trzy razy dziennie is three times a day, przed jedzeniem before food, po posiłku after a meal, popić wodą wash down with water; the package has a ulotka (leaflet).

💡 The question Czy mogę to brać razem z...? is normal and frequent; the pharmacy helps free of charge and you can show a list of medicines on your phone.

💡 The night and weekend pharmacy is the apteka dyżurna; its address is posted on every pharmacy's door and on aptekawsieci.pl.

💡 Katar is a runny nose, kaszel a cough, ból gardła a sore throat; each has a remedy: krople do nosa, syrop na kaszel, tabletki do ssania.

💡 A zamiennik is a cheaper equivalent with the same active substance; refundacja is the partial payment of medicines by the NFZ with a prescription; ask the pharmacist whether there is a cheaper substitute.

💡 A child's dose depends on weight: the pharmacist will write it on a slip; use the measuring spoon or syringe from the packet; if the fever lasts more than two days, see the paediatrician.

💡 SOR (Szpitalny Oddział Ratunkowy) is the hospital emergency department; on signs look for SOR or a red cross. Serious cases mean phoning 112 or 999.

💡 Useful words: upadek (fall), złamanie (fracture), opuchnięty (swollen), ból (pain), skręcenie (sprain).

💡 In the emergency department the queue depends on severity (triaż), not arrival time; asking about waiting is normal.

💡 Dziecko is child, upadek a fall, guz a bump, stracił przytomność lost consciousness. Say straight away whether the child lost consciousness.

💡 When you leave hospital you get a karta informacyjna (a letter for your family doctor): give it to your doctor and keep a copy for yourself.

💡 At night and weekends, when clinics are closed, Nocna i Świąteczna Opieka Zdrowotna (NiŚOZ) operates; in a life-threatening case phone 112 or 999.

💡 At the NiŚOZ you walk in without an appointment: you give your name and PESEL at reception; the queue depends on severity. Bring ID and a list of medicines.

💡 Dentysta is the dentist, ból zęba toothache, plomba a filling, przegląd a check-up; for strong pain say ostry ból.

💡 For a blood test you often have to come na czczo (fasting) and usually with a skierowanie; results are often available online in IKP or at the stated laboratory.

💡 A dental check-up (przegląd zębów) is worth doing twice a year; professional cleaning (higienizacja) is usually paid and not covered by the NFZ; ask the price beforehand.

💡 After a filling under local anaesthetic do not eat for at least two hours and do not bite your lip or tongue; plomba or wypełnienie is a filling, znieczulenie is anaesthetic.