How does the Danish health care system work in practice?

Podcast interview with medical doctor and general practitioner Maria Holmegaard Sørensen about the Danish health care system.

Where do you call if your child gets sick on a Friday afternoon in Denmark? And how does the Danish health care system work in practice? How do you for instance choose a family doctor? And what is the role of your general practitioner? How do you get referred to medical specialists, and where can you find information about how to contact the specialist once you have been referred to one? When shall you call your general practitioner and when shall you call “Lægevagten”? Where can you find the phone numbers and adresses that you need to get in touch with the relevant medical assistance?

Meet medical doctor Maria Holmegaard Sørensen. Maria is a general practitioner and she is the owner of Brobylægerne, a medical clinic in Nr. Broby, a village close to Odense, in Denmark.

In the podcast, Maria shares information about how the Danish health care system works in practice, and she gives practical advice regarding where to find the information you need, and whom to contact within the Danish medical system for the medical needs of you and your family.

“when you know where to reach and where to get help, I think that is really important, because then you can feel secure, no matter where you are in Denmark”

Maria Holmegaard Sørensen, MD, general practitioner and owner of the medical clinic Brobylægerne, in Nr. Broby

Links, phone numbers, info and apps mentioned during the podcast

Where to call for medical assistance:
8am – 4pm: Your own general practitioner (sometimes the clinics have a voicemail with a separate number to call during the afternoon)
4pm – 8am (also weekends and holidays): Lægevagten (Region Syddanmark: 70 11 07 07)
Emergencies: 112

How to find a medical specialist:
When your general practitioner has referred you to a medical specialist, you can search for a medical specialist in your area on sundhed.dk. To find the search tool, you need to scroll down to the middle/bottom of the web page. A predefined search for medical specialists in Odense has been made here: “Find behandler”. To get to the list with specialists, please click on the box “Alle behandlere eller typer”.

Where to change your general practitioner:
On Borger.dk you can change your general practitioner.
When the change has been made, you will receive a new yellow card.

Other links and apps mentioned during the podcast:
Patienthåndbogen – Advise about diseases and treatments, made by Danish health professionals and supervised by Danish health authorities.
– Information about the Danish childhood vaccination programme.
– The latest information in English about the corona virus, on the Danish Health Authority’s website.
“Min Læge” – app for communication with your medical doctor.
“Medicinkortet” – app where you can view your medications and renew prescriptions.