Student blogs

So my mom was right after all. “Never wear uncomfortable shoes!”, I hear her say in the back of my head and well: after the past two weeks, I can only agree to that statement!

I did wear uncomfortable shoes for definitely too long. As a result, I not only got a painful gigantic blister, but this blister also got infected. Yes, that’s possible. And yep, I’ve learned my lesson!

At first, not being able to walk really, I accepted my condition and had the cosiest weekend at home, making the best out of it by baking all kinds of pumpkin spiced treats and watching movies, embracing the rainy-day vibes.

But then I had to realise that this wouldn’t get better very soon by itself. Wearing any kind of shoes was impossible due to the pain and as I really wanted to walk outside again, I decided I have to see a doctor.

Seeking Swedish Healthcare for the first time as a Public Health student, I was quite curious about the experience! But where to start?

Calling 1177

At first I had a look at the website of 1177 – the Swedish phone number for medical advice (Have a look at the website here: 1177). As I had to realise it is impossible to make an appointment online at 1177 without Bank-ID (who would have thought that?), I decided to call there. (If you want to know more about the adventurous hunt for your bank account in Sweden, I recomment to read Luis’ blog: On Swedish legalities: all things residence permit, personnummer, Swedish ID, and the bank account – Student blogs.)

I talked to a very nice nurse who asked me about my complaints first, after she told me, she’s somewhere in the North of Sweden … meaning, she won’t be able to book an appointment for me either.

So my next step was to call the closest Vårdcentral (the primary health care centres in Sweden).

Calling my closest Vårdcentral

After looking online for my closest vårdcentral, I called there and was very happy: the person understood English perfectly well and after hearing about my complaints, she gave me an appointment for the same day.

My appointment at the Vårdcentral

Arriving at the vårdcentral, I had to identify myself using my Swedish ID-Card (or personal number). Luckily, I already had these! As soon as you have your personal number in Sweden, you pay the same amount for every visit at a Health Care Service. For my visit at the vårdcentral I paid around SEK 270.

Waiting for 2 minutes, a very friendly woman welcomed me, calling me by my forename (very typical Swedish!). Shoutout to this lady (turned out she was an intern), she really took time for me and made sure I had all the time to ask questions or express my needs. She went out once to ask her colleague about her opinion (very professional) and in the end I got a prescription for antibiotics.

After two weeks, my foot is lots better luckily!

So, if you have seen me running around with winter slippers outdoors (or maybe, just maybe, even the opera) for the last couple of days, now you know why.  

Take aways: Primary Health Care in Sweden

• Always possible: Call 1177.
• Once you have a personal number: Pay the same price as Swedes.
• If you have Bank-ID or Freja+: You can create an account and make an appointment online at 1177.
• If you do not have a Bank-ID or Freja+ yet: Call your closest vårdcentral and  ask them to make an appointment for you.