General information for immigrants and EU citizens

Except for emergency medical care, the health services organised by the City of Tampere are only provided for Tampere residents. You are entitled to these services if you are registered in Tampere.

Those studying at colleges and institutes located in Tampere belong to the system of student health care. In addition, university students, for example, have a health care system of their own.

Health care services for immigrants

Those moving independently (those having a residence permit) to Tampere may use the municipal or private health services. There is, for example, information on the private health care services in the phone book.

The first-phase medical consultation of the nurse for the immigrants and returnees is located in Hervanta. The newcomers undergo a medical examination, and in urgent cases treatment is provided.

Providing health and medical care services for those domiciled in an EU member state

In Finland the municipalities are obliged to provide their residents with health information, medical care, mental health services and ambulance services. The municipality is also obliged to maintain dental treatment services, school health services, student health services and occupational health services. In addition, the municipality must organise emergency medical care regardless of the patient’s place of domicile.

There is an obligation (according to Regulation (EC) No 883/2004), with certain preconditions, to provide these services for the citizens of the countries signatory to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, the citizens of all the EU member states and Swiss citizens. All these citizens must present either a valid "European Health Insurance Card" in order to receive the services concerned.
Those coming from a Nordic country or from Great Britain only need to present a travel document and give notification of their permanent address.

The identity of a person having presented his or her European Health Insurance Card may be checked, for example, from his or her passport or identity card with a photograph.

The countries signatory to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement and the EU member states: the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgarian, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Poland, France, Rumanian, Sweden, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Great Britain.

The holder of the European Health Insurance Card is given medical treatment when absolutely necessary for medical reasons. The care is given on behalf of the country responsible for the care and at this country’s expense.
Medical treatment is given, for example, in acute case of illness or when the pre-existing chronic disease absolutely requires treatment. The main principle is that the person having fallen ill does not need to return prematurely to his or her home country in order to receive medical care. The need for medical care must be based on a medical assessment in which the planned period of residence, for example, plays a significant role.

When a patient travels to another country with an express purpose of receiving medical treatment, he or she must present an E112 form, which can be obtained from his or her home country. However, it is not possible to receive preferential treatment over those already waiting. The country giving the treatment assesses how acutely the patient needs medical care.

All the holders of the European Health Insurance Card are charged the same client fees as from those who have a domicile here.

Those insured elsewhere than in some EU member state are charged, regardless of citizenship, the actual expense of the medical care given.