Health

Your GP is usually the first contact for physical and mental health concerns. The doctor can assess, treat and refer you to a specialist when needed.

When the GP is unavailable and help cannot wait, call the out-of-hours medical service on 116 117. For danger to life, call 113.

The out-of-hours service can assess your needs over the phone. The distinction concerns urgency and the help required; an emergency should not wait for a routine appointment or referral.

You have a right to understandable information and involvement in decisions about your healthcare. Mention an interpreter when booking if you need one; the service must arrange a qualified interpreter when necessary.

Children must not be used as interpreters. Health professionals must keep health and personal information confidential.

Information may nevertheless be shared with your consent or where legislation permits or requires it. Confidentiality therefore protects your information without being a promise that it can never be shared.

As a general rule, you have a right to access your pasientjournal, the record of your healthcare. Not all records are displayed on Helsenorge. If you believe information is wrong, you can ask the care provider to consider correcting it; you do not edit the record yourself. Access, confidentiality and correction are therefore different patient rights.

Adults often pay a user fee for publicly funded healthcare, while hospital admission is free. Approved user fees count towards the annual exemption-card threshold.

The card removes those fees for the rest of the calendar year, but other charges can remain. Private treatment without a public agreement has different payment conditions.

Since 1 August 2026, everyone under 18 is exempt from fees covered by the exemption-card scheme. Ask which type of charge applies before assuming that every treatment expense is covered.

The child health centre for ages 0–5 offers free examinations, vaccinations and guidance for parents. You can discuss sleep, food, development and interaction, including between scheduled appointments.

When a child starts school, preventive support continues through skolehelsetjenesten, the school health service. Pupils can seek advice on physical and mental health and raise difficult questions there. The child health centre for ages 0–5 and the school health service therefore have related tasks but serve different age groups.

Mental health concerns thoughts, feelings and how we manage everyday life. A GP can help with mental health difficulties, and many municipalities offer services that are easy to contact without a complex entry process.

Moving to another country can bring hope and strain together: missing people, uncertainty or losing a support network can affect sleep and energy. Physical and mental health influence each other. Daily routines and social contact can support wellbeing; health problems do not prove a lack of willpower. You can seek healthcare for persistent difficulties.

Healthcare therefore includes both treatment of illness and support that prevents or identifies difficulties early.

Family planning means being able to make informed choices about pregnancy. A GP, midwife or public health nurse can advise about contraception. Methods work differently; condoms can also protect against sexually transmitted infections. Ask for guidance suited to your circumstances.

The pregnant person decides about abortion during the first 18 weeks, up to 17 weeks and 6 days. After that an abortion board must assess an application. You can contact a hospital with a gynaecology department directly without a GP referral. Nobody may force you to have an abortion.

Sexual orientation concerns who a person is attracted to; gender identity concerns their experience of their gender. They are different aspects of identity. Respect for others’ identity, boundaries and consent applies even when experiences and beliefs differ.