Overview of healthcare system in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is centrally located in the heart of Europe, with the area of 78.865 square kilometres [1], and with an estimated population of 10,542,080 in 2011 (Figure 1), ethnically and linguistically Czech (94%). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Roma, Vietnamese, and Poles. Czech Republic has a democratic parliamentary system of government and a well-developed economy. The Czech Republic has been a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since December 1995, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) since February 1999 and a member of the European Union (EU) since May 2004 [1].After World War II, the political system in Czechoslovakia was greatly affected by the introduction of a Soviet-style Communist regime, as it was in the other countries of central and east Europe. In February 1948, the Communist Party became the only autonomous political entity.After the revolutionary events, so-called "Velvet revolution" of November 1989 which brought about the downfall of the Communist regime, the entire country faced the uneasy task of resuming its pre-Communist traditions and building a democratic political system. A wide diversity of political parties was established even before the break-up of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992. The constitution of the Czech Republic, which became valid on the day of the birth of the new state, explicitly defined civil rights, the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of power, and the independence of the judiciary.With an estimated population of 10,542,080 at 30 June 2011, compared to 9.3 million at the beginning of the twentieth century, the population growth of the Czech Republic was limited and characterised by low fertility rates and loss of population in and around World War I and World War II. Population growth resumed until 1994 when the population was 10.3 million. From 1994 to 2005 natural growth was negative and the population decreased to 1