| During the Communist regime, a single and universal
system of medical care was established. Today there are both private and
public health care systems in the Republic. Workers pay 7.5% of their income
to health insurance companies for medical care. They usually do not need
to pay to see a doctor, although some doctors have started to bill patients.
Another 8% of workers' income goes towards social security, which covers
pension benefits. Unemployed Czechs get free medical care. |
| In
1959, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was won by a Czech, Jaroslav Heyrovskı.
Heyrovskı, a professor of physical chemistry at Charles University
in Prague, developed polarography, a method of analyzing chemical compounds
using electrical polarities. |
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| The life expectancy of Czechs is lower than the
European average by several years. About 3% of Czechs die due to illnesses
caused by air pollution. Parts of the Czech Republic are among the world's
most highly polluted areas. Industry emits 1.4 million tonnes of sulphur
into the air every year.
In industrial areas, the rate of cancer,
respiratory disease and birth defects is much higher than in non-industrial
areas. The number of deaths of children from respiratory disease in polluted
areas is two to four times that in unpolluted areas. Life expectancy in
industrial regions is five years lower than elsewhere in the country. There
are many natural springs in the Czech Republic, especially in West Bohemia
and North Moravia. These spas specialize in treating respiratory, thyroid,
coronary and rheumatic diseases, allergies, diseases of the liver, kidney,
stomach and skin, and gynecological problems. |
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| Treatment in a spa may consist of drinking the
mineral-rich waters or bathing in the hot springs. Medical insurance covers
treatment in spas, and it is common for a doctor to send a patient to a
particular spa that is known to help with a specific disease. The period
of treatment is normally 3 to 6 weeks. The spa at Karlovy Vary is also
famous for its herb liqueur Becherovka, which is used to treat stomach
ailments. The original recipe for the liqueur, which contains 42 different
herbs, was created in 1805. |
| The
Czech population, like the Canadian, is aging. In 1997, 13% of the population
was 65 years and above. |
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| Hospital
stays for women who give birth are longer than in Canada. During the Communist
era, a pregnant woman went into the hospital a week before the birth and
stayed for about two weeks. Now when a woman has a baby, mother and child
will remain in the hospital for almost a week. |
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