How to call an ambulance in Czechia: dial 155 — the direct line to the medical dispatch service (zdravotnická záchranná služba, ZZS), where calls are answered by medical professionals. If your Czech isn't good enough, call 112: operators on the pan-European emergency line also speak English and German and will transfer your call to medics if needed. Both numbers work around the clock, and calls are free from any phone. In this guide we'll cover how 155 differs from 112, when you actually need an ambulance versus when it's enough to head to an on-call doctor (pohotovost), where adult, pediatric and dental pohotovost operate in Prague in 2026, how much it costs, and what to do if you have no insurance.
Both numbers ultimately connect you to the same ambulance service, but the route the call takes is different.
| Number | Who answers | Languages | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | ZZS dispatch — qualified medics | Czech; English not guaranteed | Any acute health problem, if you can explain yourself in Czech |
| 112 | Unified emergency line, staffed by firefighters (HZS ČR) | Czech, English, German | If you don't speak Czech, or if you need several emergency services at once (traffic accident, fire) |
One nuance: if you call 112 about a medical issue, the operator will transfer you to 155 — which can cost you a couple of minutes. That's why Czech speakers with a health emergency are advised to call 155 directly. The 112 line, meanwhile, works even without a SIM card or outside your carrier's network.
Install the official, free Záchranka app: one button calls 155 and automatically sends your GPS coordinates to the dispatcher, and the app has an English interface. This is especially handy if you don't know your exact address or are out in nature.
Tell the dispatcher: your location (address, floor, door entry code), what happened, who is affected (age, whether they're conscious, whether they're breathing), and your phone number. Don't hang up first, and keep the line free — the dispatcher may call back and can talk you through first aid before the crew arrives. All the other numbers — police 158, fire brigade 150, municipal police 156 — are listed in our guide to emergency phone numbers in Czechia.
Call 155 if there's a threat to life or the condition is deteriorating fast:
If there's no threat to life but you fall ill in the evening, at night, or on a weekend when your praktický lékař (GP) isn't seeing patients, go yourself to a pohotovost (officially lékařská pohotovostní služba, LPS or LSPP). This is an on-call doctor for acute but non-critical cases: high fever, sore throat, ear infection, cystitis, minor injuries. On weekdays during working hours, call your own GP first — see how that works in our guide to booking a doctor's appointment in Czechia.
Important: pohotovost only provides urgent care. They don't issue sick leave (pracovní neschopnost) or routine prescriptions there — for that, see your own doctor the next day.
As of 1 January 2026, Fakultní Thomayerova nemocnice became the main provider of city pohotovost services for adults and children, while dental on-call care there is run by Pražská pohotovost, z. ú. Prague has allocated CZK 27.35 million to keep this service running at its previous scope. Hours change from time to time — check the hospital's website or the lps.praha.eu portal before you go.
| Hospital | For whom | Hours | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fakultní Thomayerova nemocnice, Vídeňská 800, Praha 4, pavilon B1 | Adults and children | Mon–Fri 19:00–6:30; Sat, Sun and holidays — around the clock | 261 082 520 (adults), 261 083 783 (children) |
| FN Motol, V Úvalu 84, Praha 5, modrá budova P (hala urgentního příjmu) | Adults | Mon–Fri 17:00–23:00; Sat, Sun and holidays 7:00–22:00 | 224 438 590 |
| FN Motol, children's department | Children | Mon–Fri 17:00–6:00; weekends and holidays — around the clock | 224 433 653 |
| Nemocnice Bulovka, Budínova 2, Praha 8, budova 2 | Adults | Mon–Fri 18:00–23:00; Sat, Sun and holidays 8:00–22:00; at night patients are seen at urgentní příjem in budova 13 | 283 842 222 |
| ÚVN, U Vojenské nemocnice 1200, Praha 6, pavilon CH2 | Adults | Weekdays 18:00–6:00; weekends and holidays — around the clock | 973 203 571 |
| FN Královské Vinohrady, Šrobárova 50, Praha 10, pavilon S | Adults | Recommended hours: weekdays 18:30–23:00, weekends and holidays 8:00–20:00; at other times care is provided by urgentní příjem | 267 163 778 |
Bring your insurance card (průkaz pojištěnce), a photo ID, and a list of any medications you take. Be prepared to wait: patients are seen by severity of condition, not in order of arrival.
Bulovka also runs a separate pediatric pohotovost — it opens earlier than the adult one (around 16:00 on weekdays) and is on duty longer on weekends; check the hospital's website for exact hours.
For severe toothache, bleeding after an extraction, or dental injuries — head to an on-call dentist:
The on-call dentist will relieve the pain and deal with the acute issue; further treatment continues with your regular dentist. For prices and how to find a permanent dentist, see our guide to dental treatment costs in Czechia.
For a visit to pohotovost, including the dental one, an insured patient pays a regulatory fee of CZK 90 — set by law No. 261/2007 Sb. Payment is made on the spot: in cash, by card, or via a machine, depending on the hospital. The fee isn't charged if the doctor decides to admit you. Children from children's homes and institutional care facilities, as well as people in material need (hmotná nouze), are also exempt — they need to show a relevant decision or proof of benefit payment (valid for 30 days).
Calling an ambulance on 155 and the crew's work are free for insured patients — the cost is covered by health insurance. Examination and treatment at pohotovost beyond the CZK 90 fee is likewise covered by insurance for insured patients.
Emergency care for a life-threatening condition must be provided to everyone in Czechia, regardless of insurance status. But the bill goes to the patient, and the amounts are serious. For instance, ÚVN charges self-paying patients a deposit of CZK 5,000 for a visit to its Emergency outpatient department and CZK 10,000 for the acute care ward, plus a non-refundable administrative fee of CZK 1,500; the final amount is calculated based on the care actually provided, with the difference refunded or charged extra. Rates vary by hospital — check on site.
An ambulance call-out and hospitalization without insurance can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of crowns, so insurance isn't just a formality. For the types of policies available and how to choose one, see our guide to health insurance for foreigners in Czechia. If you're insured in another EU country, emergency care is covered by your EHIC card — carry it with you.
City pohotovost in Prague doesn't make house calls — it's a facility-based service, and it doesn't arrange patient transport either. Your options are:
Once regular pharmacies close, on-call ones step in: the pharmacy at FN Motol (V Úvalu 84, Praha 5) is open around the clock, and in Prague 7 the non-stop BENU pharmacy moved to Dukelských hrdinů 471/29 in December 2025 — in the evening and at night, medicine there is handed out through a service window. Call ahead — on-call pharmacy schedules change. For a full list of addresses, see our guide to 24-hour pharmacies in Prague.
If, after an acute episode, you need a regular doctor or dentist you can easily communicate with, check our directory of vetted specialists: doctors and dentists. And for hospital visits involving documents and medical records, translators can help.
The 155 dispatchers are medics, and English isn't guaranteed. Without Czech, it's more reliable to call 112, where English and German are always available, or to use the Záchranka app, which sends your coordinates automatically. It's worth learning a few basic phrases in advance for situations like this — you'll find a selection in our guide to Czech phrases for everyday life.
For insured patients, the crew's call-out is free — insurance covers it. The CZK 90 regulatory fee only applies to a visit to pohotovost that you make yourself. A knowingly false call, on the other hand, is an offense punishable by a fine.
Not everywhere, and not always. On weekdays, most pohotovost facilities in Prague only see patients in the evening and at night — during the day, your praktický lékař handles things. Some, like Thomayerova nemocnice, are open around the clock on weekends and holidays, while at several hospitals night care is handled by urgentní příjem. Check the hospital's website for hours before heading out.
No, the on-call doctor doesn't issue sick leave. On the next working day, see your praktický lékař — they'll open a neschopenka based on the pohotovost's report.
An ambulance called via 155 comes to wherever you are — that's its job in a life-threatening situation. City pohotovost, however, doesn't make house calls — it's a facility-based service. A scheduled home visit (návštěvní služba) for medical reasons is done by your praktický lékař for their own registered patients, while private house-call services operate on a paid basis.
Pediatric pohotovost operates at Thomayerova nemocnice (Vídeňská 800, Praha 4) — from 19:00 on weekdays, and around the clock on weekends and holidays — as well as at FN Motol (from 17:00 on weekdays) and Bulovka. If there's a threat to life, call 155 right away. For how pediatric care and insurance for children work, see our guide to children's doctors and insurance in Czechia.
Your insurance card (průkaz pojištěnce), a photo ID, CZK 90 for the fee, and a list of medications you're taking. If you don't have your card with you, they can look you up in the system using your policy details, but it's best to carry it with you at all times.
Comments (0)
Please be polite. Spam and insults will be removed.