Get the Healthcare you Deserve
Right to Free Access
- Residents with a CPR number and health care are entitled to free access to most healthcare services (GP, hospital, emergency care, maternity care).
Right to Choose
- You can choose your own general practitioner (GP).
- You can change GP (for a small fee) if you are dissatisfied.
- You may choose between public hospitals and, in some cases, private hospitals (especially if treatment is delayed).
Right to Information
- Information must be given in a language you understand (often English is available in Copenhagen)
Right to Informed Consent
- You have the right to clear and understandable information about your health, treatment options, and potential risks.
- No treatment can be carried out without your consent.
- You can say yes or no to treatment – and you can change your mind at any time.
Right to Access Your Medical Records
- You have the right to see your medical records, test results, and other documentation about your treatment.
- Digital access is often available through the Sundhed.dk portal.
Right to Confidentiality
- Doctors and healthcare staff must keep your health information private.
- Information can only be shared with your consent, unless required by law.
Right to Treatment Within Timeframes
- For most hospital treatments, you are entitled to treatment within 30 days (the “treatment guarantee”).
- If the public hospital cannot meet this, you may be referred to a private hospital at no cost to you.
Right to Emergency Care
- Everyone in Denmark (including visitors) has the right to emergency care in life-threatening situations.
Right to Complaint and Compensation
- You can file a complaint if you are dissatisfied with healthcare services.
- There is a Patient Compensation Association (Patienterstatningen) where you can apply for compensation if you suffer harm due to treatment.
Right to a Second Opinion
- In serious or life-threatening cases, you can request a second opinion from another specialist or hospital.
Sources
| Source / Law | What it Covers / Relevance |
| Sunhedsloven (Danish Health Act / Health Service Act) | This is the core legislation governing public health services, benefits, and patient rights in Denmark (including rules about access, consent, confidentiality, medical records). |
| Danish Patients’ Rights Act (1998) | Supplements the Health Act by articulating the legal values and principles regarding patients’ legal position and rights in treatment settings. |
| Regional/Municipal summaries (Region H / Copenhagen region) | Regional health authority summaries outline patient rights in practice, such as the right to rapid treatment, legal access to records, confidentiality, and the possibility to choose another hospital. |
| Patient Compensation (Patienterstatningen) | Governs claims for compensation when harm arises from medical treatment; the “Act on the Right to Complain and Receive Compensation” lays out how compensation works. |
| Official health system overviews & policy documents | Documents from the Danish Health Authority and “Healthcare in Denmark” guides confirm many of the access, free treatment, and rights provisions (e.g. free hospital access for residents). |
| Data protection / health data policy | The Danish Health Data Authority describes patient rights relating to personal health data – e.g. right of access, right to corrections, confidentiality of medical information. |
| Academic / Governmental analyses | Studies and reviews of patient involvement, patient safety, guidelines, and the legal framework help confirm how patient rights are implemented in practice (informed consent, shared decision making, timeliness, etc.) |