“Racist” Sign at Motol Hospital Makes Rounds

A stereotypical depiction of foreigners at the Prague hospital is causing a minor stir on social media

Dave Park

Written by Dave Park Published on 11.02.2016 11:49:49 (updated on 11.02.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

If you find yourself at Prague’s Motol Hospital but don’t speak any Czech, the ward has helpful signs pointing the way to the foreigner’s ambulance.

The signs are in Czech, but if you’re an Asian man wearing a conical hat, a black guy with big red lips and an earring, or a Native American girl with feathers in your headband, you should be able to find your way.

It’s something of a joke, but a photo taken of a stereotypical sign pointing to the foreigners’ department at Motol Hospital in 2015 has been making the rounds on social media over the past week.

After spreading through Facebook and Twitter, Aktualne.cz commented on the picture that has “outraged foreigners living in the Czech Republic.”

The hospital, however, defends the images as innocent depictions created specifically for the hospital’s new children’s ward.

“I am sorry to hear that people are discussing the correctness of innocent images for children,” hospital spokesperson Pavlina Danková told Aktuálně in a bizarre statement, “but nobody stops to think about the fact that many foreigners, who our doctors have treated, actually owe money to the hospital. Currently, the amount stands at millions of crowns.”

“The hospital stands behind its proposal. We certainly do not intend to remove the sign or change or replace it.”

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