Health care in Sweden

In Sweden, the health and medical care generally holds a high standard. The residents are subsidized by the state when they receive health and medical care or go to a physician or buy prescribed medicine. In order to be subsidized, you need a personal identity number. Children under 20 years with a Swedish personal identity number receive free health care.

Sign up at a Health Care Center

You and your family should register at a local Healthcare Centre (Hälsocentral) as soon as possible after your arrival. There are a number of centers to choose from, but they are largely similar in terms of fees and booking procedures. Find more information at Region Kalmar and Region Kronoberg for Växjö.

When you need medical care, call to schedule an appointment at your healthcare center. If you do not speak Swedish, you should inform them about this when scheduling your appointment, especially if you need to have an interpreter present for languages other than English. Bring your ID (Swedish ID card if you have one) and insurance documents/cards. If you move to a different address, you can remain with your local healthcare center or change to a more convenient one.

A visit to a physician may cost around SEK 200, a visit to a specialist or to the emergency clinics at the hospitals costs around SEK 330-420 (2020). The medical care services have a system to protect against high costs for persons with a personnummer. You pay up to 1,150 SEK per year (2020). After having paid this sum, health care is free of charge until the end of the 12-months period from the first medical care event.

Medical advice

If someone is ill, but it is a non-emergency situation, you can contact the Swedish medical information hotline (dial 1177) which is available 24/7. Experienced medical staff will give you advice in English. You can find further information here: 1177.se

Pharmacies

Prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines are available at local pharmacies (Apotek). Over-the-counter medicines can also be found at larger grocery stores near the cashiers. Pharmacies are open during normal shopping hours, although some may be closed on weekends. In Sweden, there is a system to protect against high cost linked to prescription medicines, which means that you pay up 1,175 SEK (2020). After having paid that, prescription medicines are partially or entirely paid by the county council until the end of a 12-months period from the first purchase of prescription medication.

The Swedish Dental Service (Folktandvården)

Dental care is not part of the general Swedish Healthcare System. You will need to register with a Dentist. The Swedish Dental Service (Folktandvården) is one option.

Dental care costs are partially subsidized by the Swedish government, for everyone with a Swedish personal identity number, but the costs are still quite high. Children and young adults are treated for free until the age of 23.
There are several public dental clinics (Folktandvården) in Kalmar/Växjö and there are also private dentists who have contracts with the County Council to provide dental care.

Prices and guarantees for dental care may vary between different dentists and dental hygienists. There may also be differences depending on where in the country you live. Therefore, you should always ask your dentist or dental hygienist about their prices and guarantees.

Emergencies

112 is the emergency number to SOS Alarm, telephone number for all emergency services such as accidents, fires or if you need an ambulance or the Police. If you are injured, you can also drive to the emergency (Akutmottagning) of the regional hospital.