Seek healthcare

You can call the 1177 helpline if you or someone in your family is ill. You can get advice from a nurse in English or Swedish. You can call any time of day. The website 1177.se provides information about health and illness.

In Sweden you need a prescription to buy some types of medicines. Find out more about how it works.

If you or someone in your family needs medical care, you can usually get help at a healthcare centre (vårdcentral) . Call 1177 if you are unsure where to seek care. You can choose to speak Swedish or English. The nurse who answers the 1177 helpline can also give you advice on what you can do yourself to feel better.

In Sweden, you always have the right to emergency care. This is true even if you come from another country and become ill while you are in Sweden. How much you will have to pay depends, among other things, on which country you are from. In some cases, you have to pay the full cost yourself.

If you are an adult asylum seeker, you have a right to receive medical and dental care that is deemed as urgent. This also applies if you are in Sweden without a permit. If you are under the age of 18, you always have the right to medical and dental care.

Torture is when someone hurts another person on purpose. For instance in order to frighten or humiliate them. Torture is prohibited. You can get help if you’ve been tortured. 

Here is information about some common charges for healthcare in Skåne.

Even if you are only visiting temporarily, you could fall ill suddenly or have an accident. So what happens if you come from another part of Sweden, or another country, and need to receive healthcare in Skåne?

If you come from another country and become ill during a temporary visit to Sweden, you are always entitled to receive essential healthcare. This could involve emergency healthcare, or healthcare that cannot wait until you return home. For example, you might break a leg and need to have it set in plaster, or you might require dialysis treatment.

In Skåne, there are several different choices of health care services available, which means that you can choose the care provider or clinic you wish to attend.