The Healthcare System in Sweden

The Swedish healthcare system is mainly funded through taxes and organised by the regions. There is no statutory health insurance fund of the kind found in some other countries. Anyone registered in Sweden has access to public healthcare. European rules apply to holidaymakers. This page provides an overview and does not replace medical advice.

In an emergency

• 112: the emergency number for ambulance, fire brigade and police, free of charge and around the clock.
• 1177: medical advice by telephone. Nurses assess your symptoms and tell you where to go. From abroad or with a foreign mobile phone, a different number applies, which is listed on the website 1177.se.
• Akutmottagning: the hospital emergency department, for serious and life-threatening cases.

The first port of call: the vårdcentral

For ordinary complaints you do not go straight to a specialist but to the health centre, the vårdcentral. General practitioners, nurses and often physiotherapists work there under one roof. Residents choose a vårdcentral and register with it. You make an appointment by phone or via the online portal. Many matters are first dealt with by a nurse. As a rule, you need a referral to see a specialist.

For less serious acute cases outside opening hours, there are out-of-hours clinics (närakut or jourmottagning).

What does a doctor’s visit cost?

Adults pay a patient fee for each visit, the amount of which is set by the regions. To ensure no one is overburdened, there is a ceiling (högkostnadsskydd): once you have reached a certain amount within twelve months, further visits are free for the rest of that period. A similar ceiling applies to prescription medicines. Treatment is generally free for children and young people.

Waiting times

The quality of treatment is high, but waiting times are a well-known problem. Planned examinations and operations can take weeks or months. A statutory guarantee sets the maximum time patients should have to wait, but it is not met everywhere. As a supplement, many Swedes use digital doctor services via app.

Dentists

Dental treatment is free for children and young people. Adults pay most of the cost themselves and receive an annual state subsidy as well as protection against very high costs. There is the public dental service (Folktandvården) and private dentists. Prices vary, so it is worth comparing.

Pharmacies and medicines

You can recognise pharmacies by the sign Apotek. Prescriptions are stored electronically; at the pharmacy you just give your personnummer and show your ID. Simple painkillers and cold remedies are also available in supermarkets. Some medicines that are sold over the counter in other countries are available in Sweden only on prescription, and vice versa.

For holidaymakers

• Bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). With it, you are treated like a resident for necessary treatment in the public system and pay only the usual patient fee.
• Show the card and your ID at the doctor’s. Without the card, you will initially have to pay the full costs yourself.
• Private travel insurance is advisable, especially to cover possible repatriation.
• Bring sufficient quantities of any medicines you need regularly.

For newcomers

As soon as you are registered with Skatteverket and have a personnummer, you are part of the public system. Register with a vårdcentral near you and sign up with the Social Insurance Agency, Försäkringskassan, which among other things pays sickness benefit. You can read how registration works under Moving to Sweden.