Public vs private
Public healthcare in Sweden is known for its high standards and has been ranked amongst the top countries globally. Both native citizens and expats have access to public healthcare, making Sweden an attractive destination for many people.
However, as an expat it is important to check whether the public healthcare covers everything you require. For example, the following are not included in the basic healthcare that is offered:
- Dental & optical care
- Choice between physicians & facilities
- Physiotherapy
- Medical repatriation
Many expats choose to supplement their healthcare in Sweden with private insurance to include a wider range of services. Insurance plans as offered from international health insurance providers can cover each of the above and more. With them, you get shorter waiting periods for appointments and surgeries as well as access to an international health plan, so you're covered wherever you travel in the world.
How bad are public waiting times?
Hospitals in Sweden are currently struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of patients that come in each day. For one of the richest countries in Europe, it’s surprising that they have around a third less beds available per person than in Poland, a country with limited resources. Thus, the average waiting time for a specialist consultation is more than 4 weeks.
The waiting time for emergency care is another big issue in the public system, mainly because of a lack of nurses and medical professionals. In extreme cases, you could be waiting for over 4 hours to be seen in one of Sweden's hospitals. Usually though, you can expect waiting times to be at least an hour.
More information
If you would like more tips about healthcare in Sweden, check out our Sweden Health Guide. Here you will find lots more information about how the public system works including what to do in an emergency, pharmacies and doctors in this Scandinavian country.
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Sources:
https://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper30.pdf
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/sweden
https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/49105858.pdf
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-swedes-world-class-healthcarewhen.html