Doctors, Hospitals and Appointments

As mentioned in Health Insurance section one has to buy a Sanitaria Nazionale to get a general practitioner service. When you go to Via Stock n.2 (one of the other 'Ambulatorio's)to get your insurance card you will be assigned a doctor. In fact you have right to choose one, just be careful since all italian doctors are not english speakers and ones who are can be poor. People in the office kindly offers non-italians a choice of english speaking doctors according to their experience, simply to make sure you can call doctors and try to speak.

Every doctor may have different working hours and it is usually around 4 hours a day. You should call them to make sure and get an informal appointment. However, many people just go to doctor's office and wait there till queue of patients is finished. You should introduce your identity card (Passport or Permesso di Sogiorno) and insurance card to your doctor and explain your problem in a common language. If the problem needs specialized examination you will be sent to a specialist with a 'prescription' which is also needed to get medicine if prescribed. With your prescription go to a pharmacy and ask for an appointment. You don't have to pay immediately (you may choose to) but make sure you did before the appointment. We have given you the list of Pharmacies for appointments and payments in the related section. (As mentioned in the Emergency Situations and Numbers section the proximity of your appointment depend on the emergency color code (red,yellow,greenor white) given to it, so if you believe your problem is severe, you should convince your doctor.)

There are two full facility hospitals and a clinic in Trieste:

1-Cattinara Hospital

2-Hospedale Magiore

3-Stock Hospital (Clinics)