Hearing checkups will become mandatory as Czechs underestimate hearing loss

Preventive hearing examinations will become mandatory in the Czech Republic, where hearing loss is often underestimated. General practitioners will send patients for specialist assessment as part of the planned approach.

The policy faces an immediate practical problem: there are not enough ear, nose and throat specialists to handle the referrals. The requirement therefore combines a public-health push with pressure on an already limited specialist network.