It’s something you would hope to avoid, but if you are in Sweden on holiday you may fall sick or be injured, in which case you will need to access healthcare. Here’s how that works for tourists and visitors.
It’s something you would hope to avoid, but if you are in Sweden on holiday you may fall sick or be injured, in which case you will need to access healthcare. Here’s how that works for tourists and visitors.
It’s something you would hope to avoid, but if you are in Sweden on holiday you may fall sick or be injured, in which case you will need to access healthcare. Here’s how that works for tourists and visitors.
If you’re in Sweden on holiday or to visit friends or relatives over the summer then you won’t be registered in the Swedish healthcare system.
However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot access care – either emergency or non-urgent – if you need it. Although, depending on which country you come from, you may find yourself having to pay.
In Sweden, everyone is entitled to emergency care, no matter which country they come from or whether they are insured or not, so if you break a bone, get a serious infection, or have a heart attack, hospitals will treat you in the same way they would treat a Swedish citizen.
You are also entitled to so-called “necessary care”, which cannot be postponed until you return home, for example blood dialysis or treatment for another chronic illness.
If it’s an acute emergency, you start by ringing Sweden’s emergency line 112, which will send an ambulance if it is deemed necessary. If your healthcare problem is less urgent, you can start by ringing Sweden’s healthcare helpline 1177, where a nurse will advise you on what to do.
While healthcare in Sweden is heavily subsidised, there is usually a small charge, which even Swedish citizens need to pay.
Doctor
If your problem isn’t urgent enough for hospital treatment then you will probably want to visit a primary care centre, known in Sweden as a vårdcentral, where you can see a General Practitioner (GP), or en allmänläkare in Swedish.
In Sweden, primary care centres are either run directly by the local regional health authority or run by a private company, such as Capio, although for patients, this makes little difference.
You find your nearest care centre on the website 1177.se by first clicking on Välj region (“choose region”) at the top of the page and selecting the region where you are staying, and then clicking Hitta vård (“Find healthcare”) at the top right side of the page. Under Var vill du söka? (“where do you want to look?”) you can fill in the town where you are. Under
If you ring the number and ask for English, you should be able to talk to a nurse who will give you an appointment.
Before seeing your doctor, you have to check in at reception and pay the fee, which varies from region to region, with the cheapest regional health authorities charging 200 kronor (€18) and the most expensive 400 kronor.
Hospital
If your problem is more serious, or if you have an injury and think you might need an X-ray or scan, then you will need to visit the hospital.
You can visit the Accident & Emergency department, referred to as Akutmottagning or Akuten in Swedish, either by ringing 112, or by turning up at reception where a nurse will determine whether your condition is sufficiently urgent or serious to require emergency treatment.
If you are in a condition to do so, you may be required to provide your passport, national ID, or European health card when checking in, although if you have arrived in an ambulance from a serious car crash, they will treat you first and collect your details later.
Out-of-hours doctors
If you need a doctor over the weekend, a public holiday or outside normal working hours, all cities have a Kvälls- och helgmottagning (Evening and Weekend Clinic), which you usually access on a drop-in basis (be prepared to wait a long time). If you do a search for Kvälls- och helgmottagningen with the name of the city where you are, you should get an address.
Pharmacy
Swedish pharmacies are staffed by qualified pharmacists and are better able to give healthcare advice for minor ailments than their counterparts in some other countries. There are several different chains, but all of them have some variant of a green cross.
Dentists
If you have a dental emergency you can visit a Swedish dentist. In Sweden, there are several private chains, and there is also Folktandvården, which is run by the local regional health authority. It’s probably easiest as a foreigner to choose the latter.
The system works in much the same way as visiting a primary care centre. Search for Folktandvården and the name of the city where you are, then ring the number of the centre you want to visit.
If you are from an EU country, a Nordic country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you are entitled to dental care at the same cost as Swedish residents. If you are from another Nordic country, you simply need to show your national ID card. If you are from an EU country, you will need to show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
Dental care is less heavily subsidised than other forms of healthcare in Sweden, so expect to pay between 1000 kronor (€840) and 1500 kronor for a visit.
Claiming back costs
If you are from an EU country, a Nordic country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you are entitled to healthcare at the same cost as Swedish residents. If you are from another Nordic country, you simply need to show your national ID card. If you are from an EU country, you will need to show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
If you are from a non-EU country, you or your insurance company will have to pay the full cost of healthcare in Sweden. The nurse on reception will want to see your passport or national ID card, and to take your name and address, and, if you have them, those of your insurance company.
Brits are no longer entitled to the European health insurance card since Brexit, but for residents of the UK there is a new card known as a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) which Sweden has agreed to accept.
Australia, Algeria, Israel, Turkey and the state of Quebec in Canada have bilateral agreements with Sweden which entitle citizens to some healthcare in Sweden.
Vocab
en allmänläkare – GP or family doctor
Ett recept – a prescription
Akutmottagning – Accident and Emergency department
en tandläkare – a dentist
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