The Swedish healthcare system is no longer the well oiled machine it once was and an often heard complaint is that ‘it’s not like the good old days’. In particular, those used to a US type health system may find the lack of intervention a little disconcerting. Having said this, Sweden still offers good healthcare at low prices and the Medical Research Institutions such as Karolinska Institutet and other University Hospitals are respected globally. While health insurance is an option (see insurance section), it is still unnecessary in obtaining good quality treatment most of the time. It may only be advantageous if you are awaiting non-urgent treatment with a long waiting list.

To be eligible to utilise Sweden’s full health care system, you need to have a personal number. Children will always be treated in full (and expectant mothers have local pregnancy and birth cover) but visiting adults without a personal number only have entitlement to certain treatments. Exactly what your cover is will depend on your circumstances. Visitors or immigrants from EU/EEA countries will have reciprocal entitlement if they have the relevant form (previously the E111, now a European Health Insurance Card).

There are a few other countries or regions with agreements for reduced or local charges for emergency treatment in Sweden - these include Algeria, Australia, Israel, Quebec and Turkey. Other visitors may need to pay for their treatment – at the time of writing, this would be up to 2000kr for an emergency consultation in a hospital excluding treatment costs - as opposed to 260kr for a local.

Asylum seekers have some basic rights and specialist clinics are available. So, it’s best to check before you leave home if you’re planning to stay in Sweden for a while.

Sweden does have a separate ‘private’ healthcare system. However, this does not affect patients – you are still entitled to treatment at the same price – just the way the hospital or clinic is funded. This means you are free to choose private healthcare options where they are available. It is always worth checking them out – in the cities in particular. For more details on how patient charges work, read the section below.

Most healthcare in Sweden is organised at the regional (landsting) level so charges and policies may vary from authority to authority. Nevertheless, the government does decide overall policy and provide guidance to the regions.