Medical Consultations

• Norwegian system

The Norwegian health care system is based on users being assigned a personal doctor. Going to the same doctor each consultation gives the advantage of the doctor knowing your medical history better. For international students, the length of your stay in Norway will decide if you are entitled to a personal doctor or not. Tromsø has several regular medical clinics, and citizens tend to choose the clinic located closer to their homes. 

• Compulsory Health Check-up and TB-test

Students from countries other than the EU/EEA, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan must undergo a TB test and chest X-ray upon arrival in Norway. You will receive a letter in the mail from the Health Authorities, requesting that you meet up at the Vaccination Office located in the centre of Tromsø on the street where most busses stop and depart from (Fredrik Langes gate 13, 5^th floor – 77 79 13 96). Students who are supposed to, but do not, go through the compulsory health check, can according to government regulations be denied access to the university, so please make sure to do this. You may contact the Student Counselling Centre for questions or assistance, e.g. if you need to reschedule the appointments given.

•  What to do if you just arrived in Norway and need to see a doctor

Obtaining a personal doctor takes time. Meanwhile, you can chose between 2 daytime options:

1. Using the Emergency Clinic next to the University Hospital located at the University Campus

Advantages:

• Easy to access
• Drop-in system which requires no pre booking of appointment

Disadvantages:

• Slightly (not much) more expensive than regular medical clinics
• End up seeing different doctors each time going there

2. Making appointments by calling one of the regular medical clinics.

Advantages:

• Getting to see the same doctor each time needing an appointment
• Slightly cheaper than the emergency clinic

Disadvantages:

• You need to call perhaps several ones before one is willing to take you
• Appointments must be scheduled in advance

Getting a Personal Doctor requires that you are staying in Norway long enough (6 months or more) to qualify for getting a Norwegian Identity Number. Choosing a Personal Doctor is done online and requires certain steps prior to the actual procedure:

The following are the steps to take:

1. Get Norwegian identity number (not necessary for Nordic citizens). A residence permit to Norway is required prior to applying for this number at the local Population Registry. The location in Tromsø is at Skatt Nord
2. Apply for identification PIN codes
3. Choose the link called You can order one, then type your Norwegian  11 digits identity number (Fødselsnummer), and press Send meg PIN-kodebrev button. The codes will then be sent to you in a letter.
4. When receiving the PIN Codes, you can proceed at this page by pressing the button: Register as a new user and follow the steps.

Things to note:

It can be difficult to make a choice of doctor without knowing the exact location of the clinics where they work, which one is closest to where you live, or has good bus connections from where you live, or which or the doctors are male or female, if you don’t know Norwegian language. Therefore, we can recommend that you come to the Student Counselling Centre for assistance from step number 2 or 3. Our services are confidential and free of charge.

If unhappy about the doctor you chose, you don’t have to inform the person but you can easily change to a new one online.

• What to do when not entitled to a Personal Doctor (Studying in Norway less than 6 months)
  • Same procedure as when just arrived in Norway.

• Different kinds of medical consultation
  • Regular Consultations
    • Personal Doctor (GP)

When you need an appointment to see your doctor, you call the clinic during office hours for an appointment. They will always ask for your date of birth. Firs time you call, they may need more details, such as Norwegian Identity Number and your address and phone number in Tromsø. When not an emergency, it may take a few weeks before your doctor is available for an appointment.

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    • Specialist Service

Consultation with a Specialist requires a referral from a general practitioner. This means that if you think you need to see a specialist, you first have to get an appointment with your doctor.

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  • Emergency Consultations

All of the medical clinics have a certain number of ‘emergency’ appointments on any given day.  If you need to see a doctor urgently, you may call your general practitioner’s clinic as soon as it opens to obtain one of these appointments.  If you have not been assigned a doctor, you can stop by the emergency clinic, or call a clinic of your choice as soon as the clinic opens, most likely at 8:30 a.m.

Outside of regular medical clinic hours (4:00pm to 8:00am weekdays and all week-end) students may go to the emergency clinic (Legevakta), located next to the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN) on campus, for urgent medical treatment. The treatment is a bit more expensive than the regular medical clinics (approx. NOK 220). Telephone: (+47) 77 62 80 00.  You may take a taxi to Legevakta and it is possible to have some of the fare reimbursed by the National Insurance Office (NAV Trygd). Just remember to ask the driver for a receipt and to keep your receipt.   To call an ambulance, dial 113.  Legevakta is open 24 hours a day for serious medical emergencies, and for students who don’t have their personal doctor.

• Costs
  • Norwegian National Health Insurance Scheme
    • Students from a non-EU/EEA country studying here for 3-12 months should apply for voluntary membership in the Norwegian National Health Scheme (NNHS) upon arrival in Norway.  Fill out the application form (available from the Student Counselling Centre) and return it to the local National Insurance Office (NAV Trygd).  Whether you will be granted coverage is dependent upon whether your country has an agreement with Norway, and what the requirements of your residency permit are.  Generally, if you are unable to obtain health insurance from your home country, you will be granted coverage here.  Medical coverage concerns conditions that necessitate immediate treatment and may be restricted in some instances
    • Students from a non-EU/EEA country studying here for more than 12 months will automatically become members in the Norwegian National Health Scheme (NNHS) once they register with the Norwegian Population Registry (Folkeregisteret).
    • Students from Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, or Iceland) are entitled to coverage of medical expenses in cases where medical condition necessitates immediate treatment.  It is important to register with the Population Registry (Folkeregisteret) if you plan on living in Norway for more than 6 months. 
    • Students from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are entitled to coverage of medical expenses in cases where medical condition necessitates immediate treatment.  Present your valid passport when requesting treatment. 
    • Students from EU/EEA countries, who present the European Health Card, will be given medical treatment in Norway in cases where medical condition necessitates immediate treatment.  With private insurance, you will be required to pay for treatment and seek reimbursement from your insurance company.

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  • Private insurance
  • • Student who come from countries where it is possible to purchase private insurance are highly recommended to do so. This is a good idea not just to cover unexpected costs concerning illness or injury, but also to cover unexpected trips back home if close relatives are seriously injured or passed away. The insurance should also cover dental emergencies if possible.

• For more information contact the International Student Counsellors or the local National Insurance Office (NAV Trygd) at Kaigata 4; Tlf: 77 75 15 00;