Patient Rights in Norway: your rights and how to complain

Patient Rights in Norway give you the right to necessary healthcare, information in a language you understand, access to your medical records and the right to consent. If you are not satisfied, you complain first to the service, then to the Governor (Statsforvalteren). Help from the Patient and User Ombudsman is free.

What patient rights do you have in Norway?

You have strong patient rights in Norway. Most of them are in the Patient and User Rights Act (the law on patient and user rights, from 1999). The law applies to everyone who gets or seeks healthcare in the country – also new residents.

Here are your most important rights:

• Necessary healthcare. You have the right to help from your GP and your municipality, and from a hospital (specialist healthcare) when you need it.
• Information you understand. The doctor must explain your condition and treatment so you understand it. If your Norwegian is limited, you have the right to a free interpreter.
• Participation and consent. Healthcare requires your yes. You decide yourself and can say no to treatment.
• Access to your medical records. You can read what has been written about you, and ask for a copy.
• Assessment with a deadline. After a referral, the hospital must assess your case within 10 working days and set a deadline for when help should start.
• New assessment. You can ask for a new assessment (second opinion) once for the same condition, through a referral from your GP.

You also have the right to choose where to be treated. The scheme was previously called "free choice of treatment". The approval scheme was ended on 1 January 2023, but you can still choose between public hospitals and private hospitals with an agreement. You can find the list under "Choose treatment location" on helsenorge.no. If you want to understand the system behind the rights, read our overview of the Norwegian healthcare system and the guide on GP, emergency clinic and hospital.

Right to information and interpreter

You have the right to information in a language you understand. Healthcare staff must adapt the information to you – your age, background and language. If your Norwegian is limited, the service must use a qualified interpreter. The interpreter is free for you, and you should not have to use your own children as an interpreter.

Good information is also the basis for consent. Treatment can only happen when you have said yes, and a real yes means you have understood what it is about. You can always ask questions and ask the doctor to explain again.

Access to medical records: what is written about you?

You have the right to access your medical records. This means you can read the notes, test results and assessments that healthcare staff have written about you. Many hospital records can be read online on helsenorge.no, and you can ask for a paper copy.

If you think something in your medical record is wrong, you can ask to have it corrected. In rare cases, access can be denied – for example, if there is serious danger to life or health. On SamfunnPrep we explain such health rights in simple language.

Do the rights apply if you are new to Norway?

Yes. Patient rights in Norway apply regardless of background. The rights follow from getting healthcare in Norway, not from citizenship. If you are registered in the National Register or a member of the National Insurance Scheme, you have the same rights as others. Even without permanent residence, you always have the right to emergency help for acute illness. You should never be afraid to ask for help or to complain – it will not affect your residence.

How do you complain about healthcare?

You complain in two steps. Complaints about healthcare start with the service itself: send the complaint to the person who made the decision, for example the doctor's office or the hospital. If they do not fix it, the case goes on to the Governor (Statsforvalteren) (the state's representative in the county), who decides the complaint.

The deadline for complaining is four weeks from when you knew enough to complain. The complaint must be in writing and signed. If you think the treatment was irresponsible, you can ask the Governor for a supervision case – they will then assess whether the health service did its job well. The highest supervision authority is the National Board of Health Supervision (Statens helsetilsyn). If you want to complain about waiting time or a referral, see how referral to a specialist works.

Patient and User Ombudsman: free help

The Patient and User Ombudsman helps you for free. It is an independent service, and there is an ombudsman in each county. They can explain your rights, contact the health service for you, be present at meetings and help you get access to your medical records.

The ombudsman has a duty of confidentiality, and you can be anonymous. You do not need a referral. If you are not sure whether you should complain, or how to, the ombudsman is a good first place. You can find your local ombudsman on pasientogbrukerombudet.no.

NPE: compensation for patient injury

If treatment has gone wrong, you can apply for compensation from NPE (Norwegian Patient Injury Compensation). Applying is free, and you do not need a lawyer to submit your claim.

To get compensation, three things must be true: the injury is caused by a failure in treatment, it has caused you financial loss of at least 10,000 kroner or permanent and significant injury, and you apply in time. The main rule is that the claim expires after three years. You apply on npe.no. The rights are also connected with the National Insurance Scheme – read more about health rights and the National Insurance Scheme.

Which authority does what?

Many of these rules are part of the public knowledge you meet in the citizenship test and in the introduction programme. On SamfunnPrep you can practise health and rights in practice. Want to test your knowledge? Try SamfunnPrep free.