Prague, Nové Město, Zítkovy sady, with Palackého náměstí in the background, on the right the Ministry of Health building, 2004
Prague, Nové Město, Zítkovy sady, with Palackého náměstí in the background, on the right the Ministry of Health building, 2004Foto: Björn Laczay from Moosburg, Germany, 2004 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Ministry of Health (MZd) is headed by Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO). The deputy chief hygienist is Matyáš Fošum.[1][2]

Covid-19 Vaccination

At a press conference held by the ministry on 6 October 2026, Vojtěch, responding to a question from the Czech News Agency, said that the state would stop securing the covid-19 vaccine from 2027. According to him, the post-covid mechanism is being abandoned and the vaccine will become a standard part of the system.[1][2] The Public Health Insurance Act now includes an HTA mechanism, i.e. an assessment of cost-effectiveness for vaccines. A manufacturer or its representative in the Czech Republic may apply for an assessment of benefit and for reimbursement to be set; the evaluation report will be prepared by the State Institute for Drug Control.[1][2]

At present, covid-19 vaccines are covered by public health insurance for everyone interested, while flu vaccines are paid for by insurers for people over 65.[1][2] For 2026, when deliveries from the original joint European Union order end, 900,000 vaccine doses will be available. Less than a third were used in the previous season.[1][2]

The Czech Republic ordered covid-19 vaccines in 2020 and, according to the ministry, has so far paid 19 billion crowns for them. It received 41 million doses, used less than half of them, donated about four million to other countries, and more than 18 million doses worth eight billion crowns were destroyed after their expiry date.[1][2] In the first year of widespread availability of vaccination, more than 15 million doses were needed, a year later a fifth of that. Between 2022 and 2023 interest fell by more than 80 percent, and in subsequent years by roughly a third each year. In 2026, by 26 July, 1,500 doses had been used, though most people get vaccinated in the autumn.[1][2]

Chronology

  • — Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch announced on 6 October 2026 that from 2027 the state will no longer secure the covid-19 vaccine and that its possible reimbursement from public health insurance will be assessed by the State Institute for Drug Control. → ČTK / České noviny Echo24

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Sources

  1. ČTK / České noviny — 6 October 2026
  2. Echo24 — 6 October 2026