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General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic

The General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (VZP ČR) is a health insurer that administers public health insurance. It is based in Prague.[3] With more than six million clients it is the largest health insurer in the country and competes with six other insurers.[1]*

Origins and development

The Czech National Council passed the act on the General Health Insurance Company on 6 December 1991.[3] The company was established on 1 January 1992.[1] At that time all citizens of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic became its policyholders.[2] The first director, elected in 1992, was Jiří Němec. Four directors headed the company during its first three decades. In 2022 it was led by Zdeněk Kabátek, director since 2012.[2]

Governing bodies and structure

The company's bodies are the director, the administrative board and the supervisory board. The administrative board has 10 members appointed by the government and 20 elected by the Chamber of Deputies. The supervisory board has 3 members appointed by the government and 10 elected by the Chamber of Deputies.[3] The organisation consists of the headquarters, regional branches (as a rule one per region) and other client offices.[3] Clients are served at about 190 branches across the country.[1]

Scope

More than 96% of general practitioners and more than 41,000 healthcare facilities have contracts with the company.[1] For 2026 it plans CZK 327 billion for the care of its clients.[1]

Police operation in September 2026

On 24 September 2026 the National Centre against Organised Crime carried out procedural steps in the VZP building and at about ten pharmaceutical companies. The case concerns suspected corrupt conduct linked to unauthorised handling of the insurer's health data. Police detained three people and released them after the procedures; no prosecution was brought. According to the VZP spokesperson, management and staff fully cooperated with investigators.[4]

Sources

  1. Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna ČR
  2. Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna ČR — 2022-01-03
  3. Zákony pro lidi
  4. ČTK / České noviny — 2026-09-25

* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.