Medicines, Hospitals in Rome, Healthcare in Italy

Medicines, Hospitals in Rome

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If you need a medical treatment in emergency, you must go to the Pronto Soccorso (Emergency department) at the nearest hospital.

Usually pharmacies are open from 8.30am to 12.30pm and from 4pm to 8pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 12pm on Saturday during summer. It varies a bit during winter.

The Rome American Hospital is a private hospital with English speaking doctors. Via E. Longoni, 69. Tel. 0622551, http://www.rah.it/english/index.htm

European Card for Sickness Insurance

In case of medical care need when abroad in Europe, it allows European members to get refund for their medical expenses, according to the legal arrangement in the visited country.
It replaces the E111 form and other European forms (E110, E119, E128) used for short term visits in European countries. It is an individual card with your name, and each family member should have one (including children under 16). It is valid 1 year and free.
The card is not given automatically: you will need to ask your social security centre a few weeks before the departure.

Medications

If you need prescription drugs or medicines, your family doctor will issue you with a prescription (ricetta), which you can then take to a pharmacy (farmacia).

Pharmacies in Italy are small family-run businesses and deal in medically-related items only. Pharmacies have the sign of a green or red cross on a white background and outside of normal hours, there will always be at least one in every town or city open late for emergency dispensing of drugs.

24-Hour Pharmacies in the historic centre of Rome:

Piazza Barberini, 49 (english-speaking) Tel. 064825456
Piazza Risorgimento, 44. Tel. 063722157
Via Arenula, 73. Tel. 0668803278
Piazza dei Cinquecento, 49/50/51. Tel. 064880019

Some of the drugs are free, otherwise you will need to pay the full cost. If you take prescription drugs on a regular basis, you should ask your doctor in your home country for the generic name of the medicine as brands vary from country to country.

Update 22/04/2008

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