(edit title) Getting a doctor's appointment Is there a secret I don't know of? Options

[Yorkshireman]

Sad but true, in many areas the healthcare has become worse over the last few years. It isn't so much that the county councils that cut funding, but rather the politics of the time. The center-right have a policy of outsourcing or rather handing over the Vårdcentralen to private companies (eg. Carema, MenProg) ,,,and as a result the service has tended to become worse.

In Stockholm you will find more-and-more Vårdcentralen that will only allow you to book online, and you have to give credit-card info directly ...so you can see where their priority lies!

With regards kids, there have been certain changes in relation to say emergency care. Charges were introduced for taking the kid to the kids-emergency unit at the hospitals, the reason for this has nothing to do with cost as such, but more so it was to cut the number of panic-parents that would take their kids there at the slightest cough, introducing a charge was intended to cut that number of time-wasters.

As for Sweden having the best healthcare in the world!!! ... sounds like the same stereotype image as .. .Sweden has the best Welfare System in the world ... if anything, Sweden has a really good Sweden Image Marketing team

[Puffin]

If you need an appointment in a hurry - one thing that many foreigners don't realise is that many of the hospital emergency departments have a GP available 24/7 (distriktläkare mottagning) - same with the närakut that others have mentioned that it staffed with GPs so you can go along and wait your turn at any of these

[Puffin]

With regards kids, there have been certain changes in relation to say emergency care. Charges were introduced for taking the kid to the kids-emergency unit at the hospitals, t ... (show full quote)

With regards kids, there have been certain changes in relation to say emergency care. Charges were introduced for taking the kid to the kids-emergency unit at the hospitals, the reason for this has nothing to do with cost as such, but more so it was to cut the number of panic-parents that would take their kids there at the slightest cough, introducing a charge was intended to cut that number of time-wasters. ... (hide full quote)

Of course this is a Stockholm (and Gotland) problem - emergency care for children remains free of charge in other Landstings

[Flutterbye]

Just to say I had to go to hospital yesterday and see a specialist, he is going to get some tests done and also I have to have blood drawn for tests but that can be done at the GP's.
Went to GP this morning to arrange appointment to see doctor (specialist is writing to him) spoke to receptionist, asked for appointment in 2 weeks, got one, was even given a choice as to what time .
I have not posted this information to crow but as I posted yesterday I am shocked that now the NHS is better than the Swedish health service and this seems to prove it.

[p.p.]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The nurse finally did call in the end... and gave me another number to make my appointment I probably will change my vårdcentral – I probably just got allocated a not very good one.

[Puffin]

I think that the main problem with Swedish healthcare is getting over the threshold to see the doctor - once in the system the treatment is usually fine

I recently had an experience when I found a strange lump
- the earliest the usual GP could see me was a week later
- so I went to the GP jourmottagning at the hospital prepared to wait it out
- I saw the GP on call one minute after arrival - did not get a chance to sit down
- the GP decided I needed to see a specialist who arrived 15 minutes later
- the Resident specialist decided to take tests and arrange a scan - tests done within 20 minutes
- 48 hours later the specialist personally rang me at home with my test results and to discuss medication options
- the appointment for the CT scan arrived 3 days after this

[Programmeny]

Why are you lying to us like this? What have we ever done to you?
Promoting Sweden for the sake of it won't solve the problem, so instead of lying and making everything seem OK try proposing a solution.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Just because YOU had a bad experience, or because Puffin had a good experience, does not make the system good or bad. Sadly, like all other public services, healthcare depends on how well YOU know the system.

[Migga]

Why are you lying to us like this? What have we ever done to you? Promoting Sweden for the sake of it won't solve the problem, so instead of lying and making everything se ... (show full quote)

Why are you lying to us like this? What have we ever done to you? Promoting Sweden for the sake of it won't solve the problem, so instead of lying and making everything seem OK try proposing a solution. ... (hide full quote)

Are you accusing him of lying? Who are you to know about his experiences? Not everyone has had a bad experience and want to write of an entire countries healthcare. You sure have some stomach to call someone out like that. Some people have good experiences and some have bad experiences, to say that I have had a good experience isn`t promotion or propaganda. The system could always work better and one should try and propose a solution, but to bash it just because isn`t helping either. Instead of saying that anything swedish sucks why not try to understand and give some good critic?

The easier way to make an appointment like the original poster asked about is to have the knowledge about how to do it. If you know then it becomes easier. To know where to turn and when to do so. To know who to conntact or what to do when told. It all helps to get a good experience. To get this knowledge you either look it up yourself or ask someone who knows. To do something blind will probably lead you to a bad experience, no matter the system or country.

[Thealicious]

Since I moved here in 2010, I've got nothing but the best health care possible.

As soon as I got my personnummer, I went to the vårdcentral (I live in Lidingö) and I was assigned a GP so I can get medication for my diabetes. Booked an appointment online (https://kontakt.minavardkontakter.se, but needed to register with http://www.vardguiden.se first. Went to my appointment, requested to continue with my current medication, got e-prescription and picked it up right after the said appointment. I easily reached the 2,200kr threshold with the medications alone. Been having the frikort on the first month since then.

I went home (to Asia) Dec 2011 for 5 months, and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MRIs (I've had 5 brain MRIs) and hospitalization have been very costly when I was there. Shortly after, I returned to Stockholm and asked my GP to refer me to a neurologist to help continue manage my condition. 2 weeks after I got an appointment, and an MRI as well. No MS attacks between March - Sept, and just recently, I had my routine MRI (they set up appointments to monitor my condition), and they found new lesions in my brain. They set me up at the hospital and gave me steroid IV infusion. I didn't want to stay the next few nights for a 1-hr procedure, so I was an outpatient with an open IV line on my right arm. I just went back to Danderyd for the appointed times in the next few days.

When I was there, I was introduced to the MS support team. They've been nothing but nice, supportive and reassuring. They were with me during the infusion times, helped me understand more about my condition and they made sure that they're very accessible and provided me with contact information. I didn't feel so depressed because I was thankful for the support (you REALLY need it), and most importantly, the free health care. I didn't pay for the infusions and hospitalization, and my upcoming MS medications which they said is approximately 100,000kr per year. And this is a lifelong condition, so yes, imagine paying that on your own.

I must add that they've been very professional and speaking in English has never been an issue.

[what would thomas paine d...]

Jante Law:
You are not to think you're anything special.
You are not to think you're as good as us.
You are not to think you're smarter than us.
You are not to convince yourself that you're better than us.
You are not to think you know more than us.
You are not to think you are more important than us.
You are not to think you are good at anything.
You are not to laugh at us.
You are not to think anyone cares about you.
You are not to think you can teach us anything.

**********
Prayers and healing thoughts for those who are suffering.

[Puffin]

Why are you lying to us like this? What have we ever done to you?Promoting Sweden for the sake of it won't solve the problem, so instead of lying and making everything see ... (show full quote)

Why are you lying to us like this? What have we ever done to you?
Promoting Sweden for the sake of it won't solve the problem, so instead of lying and making everything seem OK try proposing a solution. ... (hide full quote)

Sorry that my ACTUAL experience does not tally with your prejudice - I'll think of you when I go for my CT scan next week. If you noticed I went to the GP at the hospital as I couldn't get an appointment at VC

Of course Stockholm has particular problems and pays its healthcare politicians huge sums - politicians in Stockholm Landsting earn around double what they earn in other landsting - the former Mrs Reinfeldt has to pay for her new villa in Täby somehow and gets between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 kronor/year for her healthcare job

[Puffin]

Just a quick update

I was talking to someone a Socialstyrelsen recently (in connection with something else) and they mentioned the National healthcare guarantee 2010 - which I had totally forgotten about and the
0, 7, 30, 30 Rule

0 - you should be able to contact telephone advice the same day either through VC or the healthcare telphone advice line

7 - days max wait for a GP time (not including the emergency GP at närakut/hospitals that you can see same day)

30 - max wait for a specialist/consultant appointment at the hospital

30 - max wait for treatment to start after decision made by the doctor

http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/ekonomiskaan...id/vardgarantin

At the moment not all Landsting achieve this to 100% but perhaps if more people complained it would create more pressure for politicians to hit the targets