Treatment within the EU/EEA in the event of medically unacceptable long waiting times in Norway
If you are not offered treatment within a medically acceptable period of time in Norway, you can apply to Helfo for advance approval to have your treatment in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Your rights
You must document that your health is such that it is not medically acceptable for you to wait any longer for the treatment concerned in Norway. The condition for acceptability is a medical assessment which is carried out by Helfo based on this documentation.
Please note that:
- only treatment which is available in Norway can be approved;
- you will need to find a treatment centre which is affiliated to the public health service in the country providing the treatment yourself;
If your advance approval is granted, you will not need to pay for the cost of the treatment yourself. You will have to pay any user fees yourself. You should check whether the country providing the treatment charges user fees for the treatment you will receive.
If you have already had the treatment, you can apply for retrospective approval. However, Helfo recommends that you apply in advance in order to reduce your financial risk.
Your rights in case of exceeded waiting time
If you have been given a deadline for treatment by the specialist health service and you are not offered treatment within the deadline, you can contact Helfo Pasientformidling.
Illustration: Morten Rakke / Helfo
Submit an application
You must complete the application form and send it to Helfo, along with the necessary documentation. If you are applying after you have already had the treatment, you must submit the application within no more than six months after each treatment date.
Attach the following documentation:
- documentation of your state of health (e.g. medical record/discharge summary)
- documentation that you have been waiting or expect to have to wait longer than is medically acceptable
- documentation of how far you have progressed in your treatment pathway in Norway
- information about the treatment you have received abroad, including an estimate of the cost
- information showing that the treatment centre is part of the public health service in the country providing the treatment
Send the application to: Helfo, Postboks 2415, 3104 Tønsberg.
Claim processing time
Helfo’s expects to process claims within 4 weeks. Claims where the deadline for medical treatment has already expired will be processed within 1 week.