Medical Insurance
Where to buy a medical insurance policy
What to do if you get sick (for students of 18 years old)
What to do if you get sick (for students under 18 years old)
All international students must have a medical insurance policy valid in Russia that covers policy holder for the following Medical Services in Russia:
- Ambulance treatments and Services
- Inpatient treatment and Services
- Emergency treatment and Services
- Repatriation treatment and Services
The minimum coverage shall be USD 30 000 (ca. 25 000 EURO). If you don’t get your medical insurance, you won’t receive visa.
Please always check the date of expiry of your medical insurance, because if you get ill and your medical insurance is over, you will need to pay for all medical aid (including emergency aid).
Usually medical insurance does not cover any dental treatment, the treatment of chronicle diseases, physiotherapy e.g. you can find more specific information about these treatments stated within you insurance policy.
*Please Note: In keeping with University & Immigration Regulations, a student without medical insurance will not be able to enroll into the university and to transfer to the next year in the event of expiration of their Medical Insurance.
Where to buy a medical insurance policy
You can buy a new Medical Insurance Policy valid for 1 year. You may also extend the current one that you have in place in different ways:
- From the “AlfaStrakhovanie” Insurance Company: The International Students Office will help you in assistance in buying your new policy from the “AlfaStrakhovanie” Medical Insurance Company
- International Medical Insurance: You can buy an International Medical Insurance policy from your home country or in Russia. Before you purchase your policy you should make sure that your Insurance Company offers services in Nizhny Novgorod.
If you buy a policy by yourself, please check that
1) Your insurance covers
- Ambulance treatments and Services
- Inpatient treatment and Services
- Emergency treatment and Services
- Repatriation treatment and Services
2) Your insurance covers all the period of your staying in Russia or for at least one academic year
3) The minimum coverage is USD 30 000 (ca. 25 000 EURO)
4) You know what to do in case of emergency (you know the phone number of your insurance company and you know what hospital you need to go to if you fall ill and cannot be contacted your insurance company)
5) Make a "check" call when you are not in trouble to ensure the phone number is valid and that you can reach someone who speaks your language. Check that they can do what you would want them to do in the event of an emergency. Do they have the necessary authority to act, and sufficient local personnel and infrastructure to act quickly?
What to do if you get sick (for students of 18 years old)
- You feel very bad and need an urgent help (have an acute pain, fever, etc)
Call to the Emergency number in Russia (112 for mobile phone calls, 03 for telephone calls) and tell your Surname, Name, Country, Address, Phone Number, Problem description and your Insurance Company details.
(If you live in the dormitory, you can ask a dormitory staff to call to the Emergency)
The Emergency Doctor can take a decision to get convey you hospital. In this case you need to ask what hospital you’ll be taken and you need to take all necessary stuff with you (clothes, toilet and shaving accessories, phone and charger, passport, migration card and registration, copy of your insurance policy).
If you get to a hospital, please inform the International Students Office (call +7 831 4623521 or write an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
NOTE: According to the Migration Law of Russia, the hospital must register you in the Migration Service, it means that the hospital must provide you with a new registration. If you don’t get a new registration on the last day of your staying at the hospital, please ask a head nurse about it and contact the International Students Office.
- You got ill and you can’t go to the hospital by yourself (have a flu or a fever, fell poorly, etc.)
Call to the hospital +7 831 437 09 69 for home visiting service from 8.00 till 12.00 (except Saturday and Sunday). Tell the operator your surname, name, your insurance company and a number of your policy, address of your staying (if you stay in the dormitory your address is Gagarina av., 23, dormitory №___, room №___). A doctor will come to you during the day of calling. After a visit, the doctor will tell you when you need to come to the hospital. If you feel better, you can go to the hospital by yourself, making an appointment through the website www.pomc.ru or by phone number +7 831 428 81 88 (Mo-Fr 8:00-17:00).
- You need a doctor’s advice or you have a cold (cough, back pain, etc.)
- Make an appointment through the website www.pomc.ru by clicking a button “Записаться на прием” or by clicking a link http://www.pomc.ru/reception/ or by phone number +7 831 428 81 88 (Mo-Fr 8:00-17:00).
- How to book online: On the main page www.pomc.ru you’ll find a button «Записаться на прием». Click this button. Read and accept the rules.
- Write your Surname and Name in Russian- Choose a doctor from a list
- Write the most convenient time for you (e.g. 15/06/2015 10:00 – 13:00)
- Describe your problem briefly in Russian (e.g. have a cough or have a heart pain). To translate your description to Russian, you can use a Google Translator or any dictionary
- Leave your contact information (e-mail and phone number)
- Wait when a hospital registrar call you back to specify a time of your visit (if you make a call from 8.00 till 16.00 the registrar will call you back during the day).
- Come to the hospital 15-20 minutes before the appointed time. You need to get a medical history card in any Registration Area («Регистратура»). For this you need to show to the registrar a passport and a medical insurance policy. If it is possible bring a copy of your medical records with you to assist your new doctor in becoming familiar with your past medical history. You will get a slip, where it’s written the doctor’s name and an office number.
- Go to the doctor’s office and wait till the appointed time.
We recommend you to go to the hospital with someone who is a Russian Speaker who can help assist you. If you have problems with communication in the hospital, please contact the International Students Office.
Address: Cliniс №1, The Volga District Medical Centre (Policlinika №1) 2, Nizhnevolzhskaya emb. (Nizhnevolzhskaya naberezhnaya,
How to get: Bus 47 from the bus stop “University” (23, Gagarin av.) to “Rozhdestvenskaya” (Nizhnevolzhskaya naberezhnaya).
Dental treatment
Dental treatment can be performed in Russia on a paid for basis. The cost of dental treatment is relatively moderate in comparison to Western Dental costs.
Address: Dental Clinic №2, The Volga District Medical Centre (Stomatologicheskaya Policlinika №2) 2, Nizhnevolzhskaya emb. (Nizhnevolzhskaya naberezhnaya,
How to get: Bus 47 from the bus stop “University” (23, Gagarin av.) to “Rozhdestvenskaya” (Nizhnevolzhskaya naberezhnaya).
Medication
It’s not possible to buy medication from a doctor. After a consultation, the doctor will give you a prescription for necessary medication. With this prescription you can buy a medication in any pharmacy («Аптека»). Many medications can be purchased here over the counter that would only be available by prescription in your home country. However, in most cases the manufacture is different and, therefore, the drug is identified by a different brand name. Know the generic (chemical) name of your medicines if you think you are going to need to restock locally. Bring the package insert from your previous prescription with you. The closest to the university campus 24/7 pharmacy is 13, Gagarin av., «Dilemma Pharmacy». Medical Certificate After visiting a doctor, you’ll get a medical certificate that states your diagnosis and duration of your stay at the hospital or on the sick-list. If you missed classes because of illness, you must bring a medical certificate to the International Student’s Office and also show it to every teacher whose classes you missed. Only a medical certificate gives you a reasonable excuse to miss classes.
What to do if you get sick (for students under 18 years old)
In Russia people under the age of 18 are treated in the Children’s Hospital. Please contact the International Students Office to make an appointment with a doctor. If you need an urgent medical aid, you need to call to the emergency (03 or 112 for mobile phones) and specify that you’re an under-age person. Please also inform the International Students Office if you get to a hospital (call +7 831 4623521 or write an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
