Health services

In Norway, public health services are generally considered to be well organized and meet top professional standards. Although there are private medical insurance very few Norwegians have this.

The public health services are divided into two sectors:

• Primary health care deals with general health issues and is provided locally by general practitioners and community nurses.
• Specialised health care provides health services by specialists and hospitals. Appointments with specialists and hospitals require referral from a primary health care provider.

Read more about the Norwegian health care system (legemiddelverket.no).

If your stay in Norway exceeds six months (and thus requires that you report moving to Norway (skatteetaten.no) you will automatically be assigned a GP ("fastlege") by your local social security office (nav.no).

However, this usually takes some time. To speed up the process, you may contact the Fastlege Office at 800 43 573 once you have received your Norwegian national identity number (skatteetaten.no) and register in the regular general practitioner scheme (fastlegeordning).

If you are not sure if you have a GP you can call Helse Norge at +47 23 32 70 00 to ask if you have been assigned a GP and what their contact information is.

If you do not have a national ID number you can contact Strandsiden Legesenter AS. They have same-day appointment available for UiB employees and their family.

You can also book an appointment with private doctors, though they are more expensive.

Outside regular office hours and in cases of emergency, visit the nearest Emergency Clinic (legevakt). When it's a matter of life or death, call 113. See Bergen Kommunes pages for more information (information in Norwegian only).

Health services are also provided by a large number of private clinics. Many of them are open in the evening and on weekends. However, they tend to be quite costly.

When consulting a doctor or other health care providers* you are required to pay a patient user fee (egenandel).

Once you have paid a certain amount inn users fee, you are entitled to receive a healthcare exemption card (Frikort). This will excempt you to pay users fee for the rest of the calendar year. Registration of fees goes autmatically and electronically, and you can keep track of your use when you log on to helsenorge.no. When you have accrued the maximum amount in users fee for a calendar year, you will receive an exemption card in the mail. You will have to show the card to receive get the excemption.

Under the following circumstances, medical treatment is free of charge:

• When you are admitted to hospital and are a member of the National Insurance Scheme, you do not pay for treatment, medication or hospital accommodation. Exception is outpatient clinics.
• Expectant mothers do not pay for pregnancy check-ups.
• Children under the age of 12 do not pay any medical user fees, and no one under the age of 18 who requires psychological help has to pay any treatment fees. Fees required for children under the age of 16 may be added to the fees of a parent.

For more info Helfo for private citizens

• Norway’s dental health system is a little different than its health care system. Children and young adults to the age of 18, have free "normal" dental care (Orthodontic treatment is not free).
• Dental care for adults is mainly private.
• For dental emergencies contact Fylkeskommune.The clinic can also be contacted by phone 55 31 03 10. Check its website for opening hours.