Another emergency dental clinic was officially opened today at Na Františku Hospital with financial support from the City of Prague and the Prague 1 district. This initiative will improve the quality of life for Prague residents and increase access to emergency dental care, particularly for children.
“When we opened the first dental emergency clinic at Na Františku Hospital a year ago, we said that this was just the beginning. I’m used to keeping my promises, so I’m glad that, thanks to excellent cooperation with the hospital’s management and the Prague 1 district, we’ve been able to open another dental clinic a year later. The fact that this emergency care is needed is also evidenced by the workload at the first clinic, where doctors have treated 6,530 patients since its opening, including 738 children. “On average, they treat more than 500 people here every month,” said Alexandra Udženija, Deputy Mayor of Prague for Social Affairs and Health.
The new clinic’s hours of operation will remain the same as those of the current clinic—weekdays from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. During the Christmas season, from December 21, 2024, to January 1, 2025, the clinic will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except on Christmas Eve, when hours will be shortened to 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Thanks to the new clinic, the emergency room’s capacity will double, allowing us to treat more patients and reduce wait times. The call-up system will also be upgraded, making it easier to register a larger number of patients. “Since the opening of the first dental emergency clinic in October of last year, we have seen tremendous interest from the public. Our emergency department is used not only by Prague residents but also by patients from other parts of the country. Thanks to the support of Deputy Mayor Alexandra Udženija, we were able to respond flexibly to this interest and open a second clinic. As a result, we will be able to treat twice as many patients and better meet the demand,” said Hospital Director David Erhart.
The construction and launch of the second outpatient clinic cost just under 2.2 million crowns. The City of Prague contributed 1.8 million crowns toward equipping the clinic. The Prague 1 district, which operates the hospital, provided 375,000 crowns for technical modifications to the premises.
“The establishment of a second emergency dental clinic at Na Františku Hospital is a great example of how cooperation between the Prague 1 district and the city of Prague can help expand access to healthcare. I am glad that we were able to contribute funds to the hospital for technical renovations of the space and thus support this project, which will make it possible to treat even more patients than before,” emphasized Michal Müller, Prague 1 Councilor for Health.
According to Bára Malíková, head of dentistry at Na Františku Hospital , finding doctors for the new emergency department was surprisingly easy. “After posting the ad on social media, we received applications from over fifteen doctors in a single day, some of whom we had to turn down due to capacity constraints. That’s really not common in the Czech healthcare system,” added Bára Malíková.
The new clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including a modern dental chair with a monitor and an intraoral X-ray machine with sensors. Patients will also have access to a panoramic X-ray machine, which the hospital acquired earlier. “The laws of irony often work in such a way that your tooth starts to hurt right when all the dental offices close for the holidays. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone, but if the worst comes to the worst, it’s good to know that you can count on Na Františku Hospital even during Christmas,” concluded Deputy Director Alexandra Udženija.
