Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
PRESENTED BY CIGNA GLOBAL

Everything expats should know about Danish healthcare

So, you’re moving to Denmark! It’s time to loosen your belt buckle, because there’s no way you’ll be able to resist all the sticky pastries and smørrebrød you’re about to find in every second shop.

Published: 11 July 2018 10:41 CEST
Everything expats should know about Danish healthcare
Photo: monkeybusiness/Depositphotos

But first things first, you should get your head around the healthcare system before you land. The last thing you want is to arrive and realise you have no idea who to see in case of a nødsituation (that means emergency, by the way).

On the bright side, all Danish citizens have equal access to the country’s healthcare system, and you will too once you’re registered in Denmark and receive your CPS number and yellow health insurance card.

On the not-so bright side, you should be aware that not all healthcare services are available through Denmark’s public health insurance. Consequently, it’s a good idea to take out a private health insurance package — particularly like these packages offered by Cigna Global that are designed specifically for expats — so if the unexpected arises you’re covered under any circumstance. 

Find out more about Cigna Global health insurance

Finding a doctor

First off, you’ll need to register in the Civil Registration System (CPS) in your local municipality. You can do this at your nearest Citizen Service Centre. 

At this time you will be presented with a list of GPs within your municipality (kommune), and it’s up to you to decide which one to register with. It’s your right to choose your own GP so you can pick a male or female doctor, depending on which you’re more comfortable with. When you receive your healthcare card your chosen GP’s name, address, and telephone will appear on it.

You’ll find the majority of Danes speak impeccable English, so it’s unlikely you’ll have to go out of your way to find an English-speaking doctor. However, it’s always a good idea to check with the surgery beforehand.

Once you’re registered with a doctor, the general procedure for making an appointment is by calling up the surgery and speaking to the receptionist. Depending on how serious your illness is, this can be done on the same day or with several days’ notice.

Emergency care

If you have to see a doctor after 4pm on a weekday or on weekends or public holidays, you should call the emergency doctor (vagtlægen) service. 

In case of a life-threatening emergency, you should dial Europe’s common emergency telephone number, (+45) 112. It’s free to call and will put you in immediate contact with the ambulance service.

If you come down with a sudden illness and need to speak to a doctor or nurse, you should call (+45) 1813 for referral to the closest hospital emergency department or urgent care centre. You’re required to call this number before going to a hospital’s emergency department, and won’t be admitted if you haven’t.

Hospital stays are free of charge as they are paid for through taxation. 

Specialist care

In Denmark, you won’t be able to see a specialist without a referral from your GP, including for paediatric and gynaecological visits. Your doctor will issue you with a written referral, which you need for the consultation or treatment to be covered by public health insurance.

With private health insurance, you can often cut out the middleman and arrange your own specialist care. Cigna Global’s optional International Outpatient module can be added to any of its expat packages, covering consultations with specialists and medical practitioners, including osteopathy, chiropractic care, and physiotherapy.

Pharmacies

In Denmark, pharmacies (apotek) have exclusive rights to sell prescription medicines to consumers. Apotek are often run by private pharmacists, who have been licensed by the state — the staff are highly trained and can also provide you with advice about medicines and their uses.

Some medicines can only be bought if you have a medical prescription from your doctor. You will have to pay for prescriptions; however, the Danish National Health Service subsidises the cost in many cases. If you spend more than DKK 850 a year on medicine eligible for reimbursement, you will automatically get some money back.

Insurance

The level of care in Denmark is generally high and public healthcare insurance covers many appointments, treatments and procedures. 

However, many expats still prefer to take out private health insurance from an international provider like Cigna Global. The flexible options mean you can find a package that suits your situation, so you can focus on settling into your new life instead of worrying about what to do if you or someone in your family falls ill.

Click here to get a free quote from Cigna Global

The content within this article has been created by The Local and provides only a general overview for information only. No reliance should be placed on the information contained with this article. Nothing in this article is intended to constitute legal, tax, financial planning, health or medical advice.
The Local is an affiliate advertiser of Cigna Global and has been paid a fee to market Cigna Global individual private medical insurance plans within the content of this article.
For more information on Cigna Global, or to get a quote, please visit cignaglobal.com. Terms and conditions apply.

For members

RENTING

Eight ways you will accidentally annoy your Danish neighbours

Getting along with your neighbours is essential if you want an easy life - but there are a some house rules in Denmark that you may not even know you're breaking.

Published: 5 March 2024 14:44 CET
Eight ways you will accidentally annoy your Danish neighbours

Anyone who’s lived in Denmark for a while knows that there are rules for everything, so it will come as no surprise that there are plenty of guidelines for living with, or near other people.

Husorden

When you live in an apartment block, you will come across house rules (husorden).

These are a set of collectively chosen rules to make sure everyone is happy with living within the close quarters of an apartment. Each apartment building has a different set of house rules, as they are decided by the board members (bestyrelsen) who live there.

It is not always clear what the rules are, so you have to ask an apartment board member, or you can find them on the housing department’s website. You can also ask to join the board and propose or amend some of the rules.

But generally speaking, these are the main areas to watch out for if you don’t want to accidentally annoy your neighbours:

1.Recycling and rubbish 

There are large shared bins in the courtyard of apartments. Make sure to put your rubbish in the correctly coloured bin and do not leave it overflowing.

2. Bicycles and prams

Apartment blocks usually have a locked room where you can choose to store bikes and prams. Don’t go taking or borrowing anything from here without permission, even if you think it’s not being used.

3. Ball games

Some apartment blocks share outside children’s toys. But there may be rules about how to store and borrow these, as well as when to play certain ball games. Don’t be alarmed if a neighbour points this out to your children.

4. Smoking

You may think, my house, my rules. But there may be restrictions in your block, for example smoking near hanged washing on a balcony, so check out your local apartment rules first. Some housing associations and landlords do not permit smoking inside at all.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to get out of a rental contract in Denmark

5. Laundry

Not every apartment comes with a washing or drying machine so you’ll find these facilities in the basements of apartment buildings. But you can’t just turn up and use a machine, even if it’s empty.

On the wall will be a timetable where you put down your apartment number to book your time slot — these are usually now electronic and operated by a chip, or by logging in to the housing department’s website. Make sure you empty the machine within your allocated slot: not doing so will result in an annoyed neighbour and possibly your things being thrown into a basket with more than a mild undertone of passive aggression. Stick to your slot, exactly.

Use your own detergent. There may be unlabelled bottles piled up around you but it’s always best to stick to your own washing detergent. 

6. Care of the outdoor space

It’s very common for an apartment block to have something called ‘arbejdsdag’, which translates as ‘working day’. This is a weekend day, at least twice a year, where residents tidy up the shared yard and garden area.
 
It’s often an opportunity to get to know your neighbours better, enjoy some food and drink after the work is done, and generally feel part of the community. Missing this without explaining why is seen as usolidarisk (not acting in solidarity with others) and could earn you a frown or two. 
 
Neighbours
A neighbour collects rubbish in front of his apartment in Aarhus. Photo: Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix
 

7. Pets

Some apartments just don’t allow them. Check this out before moving in to avoid upset. If pets are allowed, you might find that some people object to dogs barking loudly at times considered to be ‘quiet’ — no later than 10pm on a weekday.

8. Noise and loud music

A study from the Institute of Public Health in 2017 showed that every third Dane who lives in an apartment is bothered by noise from neighbours. After some research from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen, a 20-page downloadable handbook was created, to give advice on how residents and housing boards can deal with the noise challenges that come from living in an apartment block. 

Some moderate noise is to be expected, from music, children, TV and you will also create some moderate noise yourself. Some apartment blocks don’t have modern sound proofing, which residents need to be aware of. You can try to make your own soundproofing in your apartment or try to collectively update it as a building.

The main advice from the research is to have clear communication and dialogue with your neighbours, as noise and other nuisances are experienced by everyone.

Let your neighbours know if you’re going to make more noise than usual, either by a note in the hallway or knocking on their door. You may have come across this in Danish apartment buildings when someone is planning a party, but it can apply to many aspects of apartment living. Keeping an open dialogue with neighbours when either you make a mistake or they do, will mean it’s much easier to resolve.

If things do get tricky, the housing board can assign a conflict mediator to the property so that internal conflicts can be resolved on a neutral basis if needed, hopefully leading to a happier apartment experience.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What is Denmark’s co-operative housing system?

SHOW COMMENTS