IKEM – Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine

IKEM (Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine) is the Czech Republic’s leading centre for organ transplants, heart disease and diabetes. It is a specialised state institute in Prague 4-Krč, not a general hospital: patients come here on referral from all over the country, and there is no walk-in emergency room.

At a glance

• Czech name: Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny (IKEM)
• Type: specialised state institute run by the Ministry of Health, founded in 1971
• Adresa: Vídeňská 1958/9, 140 21 Praha 4-Krč
• Switchboard: +420 236 051 111
• Reception: +420 236 054 111
• Email: ikem@ikem.cz
• Emergency department: no general emergency room
• Maternity unit: no
• Foreigners’ desk: no
• Nearest metro: Kačerov (line C), then bus to the IKEM stop
• Website: ikem.cz/en (English version available)

IKEM changed its phone numbers a few years ago. Current numbers start with 236 05. If you find a number starting with 261 36 in an older guide, it is out of date.

What IKEM is known for

• Transplant Centre. Kidney, liver, heart, pancreas and intestine transplants. In 2025 IKEM carried out 592 of the 975 organ transplants performed in the whole country, among them 341 kidneys, 150 livers and 57 hearts.
• Cardiac Centre. Cardiology and cardiac surgery, including catheter ablations, angioplasty and implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators.
• Diabetes Centre. Treatment of diabetes and its complications, including transplantation of pancreatic islets.
• Liver, bile duct and pancreas surgery, together with hepatology and gastroenterology.

The institute has 368 beds, 131 of them in intensive care.

Emergency care

IKEM does not have a general emergency department. It has an acute admission office for its own fields, above all cardiology, reached on +420 236 053 002 or +420 236 053 003. It is meant for patients sent by a doctor or the ambulance service and for IKEM’s existing patients.

If you have a sudden health problem in this part of Prague, go to the neighbouring Thomayer University Hospital, or call 155 or 112 if it is life-threatening.

How to become a patient

IKEM accepts patients from the whole country on a referral from their own doctor, usually a specialist. Planned admissions go through central admission in building A, the main entrance building, on the 2nd floor. It is open Monday to Friday 7:00–16:00, tel. +420 236 052 252.

Services for foreigners and English speakers

There is no foreigners’ desk at IKEM, and the institute says plainly that it has no staff interpreters. Things to know before you come:

• Bring your own interpreter if you do not speak Czech. The hospital asks you to fill in a form naming the person who will interpret.
• Interpreting and translation can be bought through an agency the hospital works with. In the current price list English costs 800 CZK per hour of interpreting and 250 CZK per translated page.
• IKEM does not write medical reports in foreign languages.
• The hospital’s internal rules for patients are available as an English PDF on its website.

Insurance and payment

IKEM has contracts with all seven Czech public health insurers (VZP, VoZP, ČPZP, OZP, ZPŠ, ZPMV and RBP). Services that insurance does not cover are paid in advance at the cashier. From the hospital’s price list: a single above-standard room costs 1,000 CZK per day, and a second opinion for a self-paying patient costs 400 CZK. If you are not in the Czech public system, call the switchboard before you travel and ask how your case would be billed.

Getting there

• Metro and bus: line C to Kačerov, then bus 114 or 138 to the stop called IKEM.
• By car: parking on site is free for the first 30 minutes, then 40 CZK for each started half hour. You pay at machines by the main exit and at pavilion S2. A space is not guaranteed.

Good to know

• Pharmacy: Monday to Thursday 7:15–18:00, Friday 7:15–16:30.
• Cash machine: a ČSOB ATM on site, available 24 hours.
• Café: Monday to Friday 7:00–18:00, weekends 11:00–18:00. There is also a buffet and vending machines.

Frequently asked questions

Can I go to IKEM without a referral?

As a rule, no. IKEM is a highly specialised institute and takes patients referred by another doctor.

Does IKEM have an emergency room?

No general one. For urgent problems go to Thomayer University Hospital next door or call 155.

Will the doctors speak English?

Many doctors do, but the hospital does not guarantee it and provides no interpreters of its own. Bring someone who can interpret for you.

Is IKEM part of Thomayer hospital?

No. The two stand side by side on Vídeňská street but are separate institutions.

Last checked in November 2026 against the institute’s official website. Phone numbers, opening hours and prices change, so confirm with the hospital before you go.

More: Hospitals in Prague: the complete guide