Final Word from Thursday, July 21, 2022

Interior Min. Vít Rakušan, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, regional governors and other officials have handled the refugee crisis better than critics expected. The snags have been minimal and have mostly been resolved in a timely fashion. Large numbers of refugees have been absorbed into the workforce, relieving companies that are still short of workers and giving the new employees a greater sense of belonging. The interior ministry's general integration policy is to promote self-sufficiency. Ukrainian refugees are guaranteed 150 days of free medical care, but in the interest of integration, they're required to start paying for coverage after that period if they don't qualify for it as an employee, student, job-seeker, etc. Some will be surprised to find that if they don't prove after those 150 days that they're still eligible for state coverage, they'll start running up a debt. If they don't pay it, a court bailiff will seize their assets. That's when they'll know they're fully integrated into Czech society. [ Czech Republic collection execution executor minister STAN Pirates health ]