In emergencies people should not go to private hospitals since they typically do not have medically staffed emergency rooms. In addition to this national emergency number, in some cities there is also a local on-call service for reaching doctors, dentists, and ambulances in emergency situations. One needs to check in each city what that telephone number is. The number is usually found in city tourist guides and the hotel concierge or local residents can also be helpful in identifying the number. In contacting doctors and hospitals, language should pose no problem since virtually all speak English.
Swedish patients pay only a nominal fee for each visit.
The salary paid to general practitioners is negotiated by the Swedish Medical Association with the Federation of County Councils. The national government may influence those negotiations but the primary power rests with the negotiating parties. A referral from a GP is not necessary in Sweden for specialist consultations Hospital and ambulatory care specialists are salaried, the amount negotiated by the Swedish Medical Association with the Federation of County Councils. Hospitals are owned, managed, and primarily financed by county or multi-county governments, supplemented by national government grants. Copayments may be necessary for physiotherapy, speech therapy, and psychotherapy as well as for some ancillary services such as drugs and glasses.