Although Slovak law prohibits charging patients for booking appointments with doctors, several companies continue to profit from the practice — some earning annual revenues in the hundreds of thousands of euros.

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Under the Health Care Providers Act, both medical professionals and intermediary firms are banned from collecting such fees. Yet they remain widespread, with regional authorities — responsible for enforcement — rarely imposing penalties, according to the Slovak daily SME. They can impose fines of up to €16,596 for illegal fees. Only the Žilina Region has issued a fine, while the Košice Region claims it lacks the power to do so.

For many patients, paying is the only way to secure an appointment.
Bratislava resident Mária Blažeková said her husband had to pay more than €7 through the TopDoktor portal to book a lung examination at a private clinic. “The health insurer requires the test before approving biological treatment,” she explained.

Fees vary widely: from €7 via Návšteva lekára to €50 on Termín u lekára. Only two regional portals — Objednať vyšetrenie, operated by the Trnava, Trenčín, Žilina and Banská Bystrica Regions, and Môj doktor — allow free booking, though the latter offers limited specialisations.

The business has become lucrative. According to Finstat data for 2024:

• TopDoktor reported revenues of €18,700 with a gross margin of 76.8 percent.

• Clevergy, operator of Návšteva lekára, earned €497,500, with a margin of 23.1 percent.

• Klinika pohybovej medicíny, behind Termín u lekára, made over €1.05 million.

• The eČasenka SMS booking system achieved the highest revenues — €1.76 million, with a 15.1 percent margin.

Booking intermediaries often share fees with clinics, usually taking between 8 and 30 percent, depending on the services provided. Some clinics instead pay a flat annual licence fee for access to the booking system.

Health Minister Kamil Šaško (Hlas) said in mid-October that he plans to “bring order to patient fees”, but the ministry has yet to publish any concrete measures.

Where to report illegal doctor booking fees

Patients who believe they have been charged unlawfully for booking a medical appointment can file an electronic complaint with the relevant regional authority.