Pediatra (pediater) is a children's doctor. In Slovakia, you must officially register your child with a pediatrician. This is a separate system from doctors for adults (praktický lekár): pediatricians care for children from birth until they are adults.
What a pediatrician does
- treats illnesses and monitors the child's development;
- gives mandatory vaccinations (očkovanie) according to the Slovak calendar;
- issues certificates for kindergarten, school, and children's camps.
To register your child, you sign an agreement for medical care (dohoda o poskytovaní zdravotnej starostlivosti). Bring your child's health insurance card and vaccination record from Ukraine. Registration is free. Public health insurance under the temporary protection status covers check-ups and treatment. The main difficulty is that many pediatricians have a full list of patients and do not accept new ones. So, you should look for a doctor in advance, sometimes in a neighboring town. Your insurance company can provide a list of pediatricians in your city.
