Adults
For adult asylum-seekers, adult undocumented migrants and people who’ve got a rejection in their asylum case, access to healthcare and other public goods is limited. You only have right to get the immediate/emergent health care. Doctors are, due to the rule of patient-doctor confidentiality, not allowed to report to the police if you are undocumented. There is though, still a risk that some might do this, though this seem to be a very rare occurence.
You can go to an emergency room and try to get the needed healthcare, but you must know that there is a risk, that the personnel there will report you to the police.
If it is not an emergency/immediate problem there is also the possibility of seeking out the privately run healthcare clinics for undocumented migrants in Copenhagen and Aarhus.
I you are an asylum seeker, the operator of the asylum centre can arrange appointments with doctors for you. NB: This is changing at the moment, January 2016 - update will follow in near future.
If you are an asylum seeker you have the right to be treated if the health problem is deemed “necessary or urgent”. This is defined as the treatment being either pain management or the treatment of a condition that will, if it is not treated, result in risk of lifelong sequelae, severe progression or cronification of the condition or risk of the disease spreading. As a rule of thumb all tests done to diagnose a condition can be done without the permission of the Danish immigration service. Equally appointments with specialists, primary consultations with a psychologist or psychiatrist, midwife (if you are pregnant) and so forth can be arranged without permission. If the health problem is a part of the monitoring or control of a known disease/condition, or if treatment is to be carried out in a hospital, it can not be initiated before the Danish immigration service has given its written consent to it.
The asylum camps only have limited resources with which they can carry out tests and appointments. (HPerregaards note: I am currently trying to find out if the asylum camps have any internal rules or guidelines concerning the above, when I find out more I will gladly update this text again)
If you are pregnant and seeking asylum you have the right to the same procedure with midwives and doctors as Danish citizens, which means checks both before and after giving birth.
If you are seeking asylum in Denmark, access to health care is free of charge.
If you are undocumented in Denmark, they might chose to charge you for health care services.
All children, including Asylum-seeking children by principle has the same rights to health care as other children in Denmark. However, the authorities have to allow the needed health care for people in the asylum system, when it is more than just basic health care. The authorities will not always grant it. It is usually the Red Cross in the camps that will ask the authorities to grant the needed health care.
To sum up, then remember, that you have the right to immediate healthcare, but if you are without legal papers, there is always a risk doing this.
Clinics and places for advice:
There are health clinics for undocumented migrants in Copenhagen and Århus. These are run by the Red Cross, The Danish refugee council and the Danish Medical Association.
The adresses and opening hours is only available if you contact the clinic privately. You can find contact information on https://www.rodekors.dk/det-goer-vi/sundhedsklinik (in Danish though). The health clinics have access to a group of voluntary interpreters.
The Trampoline House also provides advice on medical issues, this is on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm and on Saturdays (only for Women) 3-4 pm. The adress of the Trampoline house is:
Thoravej 7, 2400 København N.
The doctors do not, as of yet, have interpreters, all doctors do speak English and some speak more languages as well.