Freshmen, be alert!
Freshmen, be alert!
At the beginning of the new academic year, the Vilnius Territorial Hospital Fund (Vilnius TLK) together with the Lithuanian Student Union (LSS) draws the attention of students and urges them to critically assess the proposals of representatives of private medical institutions who visit educational institutions to transfer to new health care institutions.
Every year at the beginning of the new academic year, the Vilnius ILC receives complaints from outraged residents that young people who have started studying in the capital are encouraged to re-register for treatment at private medical institutions. Students are promised various discounts for signing up, they are misled by the information that only these medical institutions can issue the medical certificates they need, or that young people can be registered in two medical institutions at the same time and thus gain double insurance. However, this is not legal.
You should know that when a person falls ill, the medical services he needs (except for emergency care) are provided only at the institution where he is currently registered. Misled young people who have re-registered at a new treatment facility, in case of illness, often turn to the previous treatment facilities and are very surprised that they cannot get the necessary services here, because they have already registered at the new one.
"If a student changes his place of residence, moves to the city of his higher education institution, it is worth thinking about re-registering at another medical institution that would be closer to his new place of residence. However, for several years in a row, we have seen cases where students are given false information, lured with gifts and services, and told that they must re-register at a certain treatment facility. This is exactly why we want to warn students. Re-registration in itself is not a bad thing, but it must be done thoughtfully and after weighing, and not after being seduced by the offered gifts or promotions", says Paulius Baltokas, president of the Lithuanian Students' Union.
Medical facilities are paid by the health insurance fund based on the number of people who sign up, which means that the more people who sign up, the more funding will be allocated. For the latter reason, some medical facilities try to attract as many people as possible to enroll in their facility. Students, as young people, get sick less often and visit medical facilities less often, which leads to not only lower labor costs for them, but also lower costs.
Vytautas Mockus, the director of Vilnius ILC, notes that individual private medical institutions, by visiting educational institutions and providing false information to students, discredit all medical institutions.
"Everyone should make their own decision about changing the medical institution. It is not necessary to transfer to another treatment facility just because the young person has started studying. A student who nevertheless decides to enroll in a new health care institution should take his time and choose the medical institution where he really wants to enroll, because there are about sixty such institutions in Vilnius alone," emphasizes V. Mockus.
Higher education students studying in full-time or full-time study programs are prohibited from state funding. The costs of the medical services they need are reimbursed from the budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. Free medical services are provided in those medical institutions that have concluded contracts with territorial health insurance funds.
A student, like every person, can freely choose the polyclinic closest to his place of residence or more convenient for him and receive the services of a family doctor of his choice.
Vilnius TLK urges students to take a look at the guarantees provided by compulsory health insurance and to remain alert, carefully evaluating the information presented to them.
If you have any questions, call the territorial health fund at the following numbers: 8 700 88888, (8 5) 212 0000, write e-mail p.:vitlk@vlk.lt,info@vlk.lt or visit the website for more information www.vilniaustlk.lt
Information of the Vilnius Territorial Hospital Fund
Contact person for the media:
Eglė Matikiūnaitė
Vilnius territorial sick funds
Chief specialist of the administration department
Ž. Liauksmin st. 6, 01101 Vilnius
Tel. (8 5) 210 0056
email post office Egle.Matikiunaite@vlk.lt
