Health care and primary services for temporary stays
Students from EU countries can benefit from medical assistance in Italy thanks to the European Health Insurance Card (TEAM) issued by the competent health institution in their country of residence.
The EHIC must be valid abroad: please check that the section on European medical assistance is filled in with your personal details.
Check the expiration date of the EHIC before departure and make sure to renew it in time in case it expires during your stay in Italy. If you do not have an EHIC, please contact the relevant health institution in your country of residence before departure. The EHIC gives you access to the National Health Service for "urgently needed medical treatment" during your temporary stay (the overall goal is to ensure care while you stay in Italy):
- You can make free visits to all general practitioners.
- You can access all affiliated hospitals and clinics, laboratory tests and diagnostic examinations by paying a contribution, commonly called a "ticket".
The EHIC guarantees medical assistance only for health problems arising during the stay in Italy; it does not cover the costs of private medical treatment.
If you need to undergo regular therapies during your stay, you should contact the hospital or clinic in Italy well in advance, to ensure that such therapies are available (for this purpose, a medical report must be provided).
For scheduled treatments, elective treatments and waivers, see detailed information here: Healthcare - EU students
Guides
Non-EU students must prove that they have valid health coverage at the time of applying for a residence permit.
Health coverage can be obtained in various ways: https://www.unipd.it/assistenza-sanitaria-studentesse-studenti-extra-ue.
In case of discomfort, it is necessary to go to a General Practitioner (General Practitioner) of any Social Health District present in the territory of the Health Unit No. 6 or, if you have voluntarily registered with the National Health Service, to the one that has been assigned.
Only in the case of serious emergencies is it possible to go to the nearest emergency room .
On arrival, a code is assigned based on the urgency of the service:
- code red: very critical, life-threatening, top priority, immediate access to care;
- yellow code: medium critical, presence of evolutionary risk, possible danger to life;
- green code: not very critical, absence of evolutionary risks, deferrable services;
- code white: non-critical, non-urgent patients.
To access the Emergency Room, you must bring:
- identity document or passport;
- EHIC card or form issued by the Social Health District (for students belonging to the States in Convention), a valid health insurance, or the health card if registered with the National Health Service.
The telephone number for health emergencies is 118.
European students with valid EHIC can access any general practitioner (general practitioner) free of charge
The general practitioner can issue prescriptions for drugs and specialist visits, as well as medical certificates (e.g. for visas).
For medical certificates of fitness for sports activities, it is preferable to contact a sports medicine center.
In Italy, drugs can be:
- without a prescription, i.e. they can be used without the intervention of a doctor for diagnosis, prescription and surveillance in treatment to treat transient or minor ailments. They are on sale at pharmacies, parapharmacies and some supermarkets.
- subject to medical prescription, i.e. medicines that must be prescribed by the doctor.
In the case of special therapies followed in your country of origin, before departure you must check the availability of drugs in Italy and bring your doctor's prescription with you.
Normally, pharmacies follow the opening hours of other shops (weekdays, approximately from 9 am to 7 pm). In case of emergency, pharmacies open 24 hours a day, including holidays, are available according to a precise calendar of shifts: http://www.ordinefarmacistipadova.it
Specialist visits and diagnostic tests are prescribed by the general practitioner. To book them, it is preferable to go in person to the Single Booking Center:
- District 1 - Via E. Degli Scrovegni, 12 - Padova - from Monday to Friday, 7.30-12.50 14.00-18.20
- Padua Hospital Trust - Via Giustiniani, 2, Above the Emergency Room from Monday to Friday 7.30-19.00
When booking, you must pay attention to the campus of the clinic/hospital where the visit will be held, because an appointment outside Padova may be assigned.
Specialist services and diagnostic tests in Italy are subject to payment of the ticket, except if you are a beneficiary of exemption.
If you need vaccinations for travel or visas, you can contact the service, for a fee, available at:
Public Health and Hygiene Service (S.I.S.P.)
Via Ospedale, 22 - Padova (PD)
Tel. 049 8214239
Email: sisp.ulss16@aulss6.veneto.it
For scheduled compulsory paediatric vaccinations, you can contact the Paediatric Vaccination Centre:
SS CF EE - Community Paediatrics
Vaccination Headquarters
Via Boccaccio 80 - 35128 Padova (PD)
Telephone access hours:
Monday and Wednesday 2.30 pm - 5.00 pm
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 12.00 - 13.30
Tel. 049 8217406
Email: vaccinazioni.d1.boccaccio@aulss6.veneto.it
For emergencies only: 118
Switchboard (for appointments)
tel. 840 000664
Mon - Fri 7.30 - 17.00
Padua Hospital Trust (Main Hospital)
via Giustiniani 2
tel. +39 049 8211111 (switchboard)
tel. +39 049 8213200 (Public Relations Office)
Social and health complex in the Hills
via dei Colli 4
tel. +39 049 8216811 (switchboard)
Sant'Antonio Hospital
via Facciolati 71
tel. +39 049 8216511 (switchboard)
The service, offered free of charge by the University through the University Center for University Clinical Psychological Services (SCUP) in collaboration with the ESU, offers help and assistance to students of the University for personal and academic career problems.
https://www.unipd.it/servizi-aiuto-psicologico