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Free choice of treatment and waiting times: you can choose your hospital, and get help when the deadline is missed

Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

Once you have been granted the right to specialist health care, you can choose where to be treated, including private places with a public agreement. If your deadline is missed, Helfo must find another place.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 16 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.

Many people do not know that they can choose where to be treated themselves. It can mean shorter waiting times.

You can choose where to be treated

According to Helsenorge, once you have been granted the right to specialist health care, you can choose between public treatment centres and private ones that have an agreement with the public health service. You can also choose a contract specialist (avtalespesialist).

  • You can ask your GP to send the referral where you want, already at the first appointment.
  • On Velg behandlingssted (Choose treatment centre) on Helsenorge you can compare expected waiting times at different places.
  • You can switch place while you wait. Contact the place where you are on the waiting list, and ask them to forward the referral.

Limits: You cannot choose a more specialised treatment than you have been offered, and you cannot choose yourself whether to be treated as an outpatient or an inpatient. Private places without a public agreement must usually be paid for yourself.

When the deadline is missed

When you are granted the right to health care, you get a deadline for when treatment must start at the latest. Read right to healthcare.

According to Helfo, the hospital must notify Helfo if it cannot meet the deadline. Helfo then finds another treatment centre for you, public or private.

  • You pay the normal co-payment, and get travel costs covered through Patient Travel. When a deadline is missed, you must apply for travel costs on a paper form.
  • If you decline the offer, you keep your place on the waiting list where you were referred.
  • If you think your deadline has been missed without hearing anything, you can call Helfo's missed deadline line on 23 32 70 03.

Tip: If you have questions about rights and waiting times, you can call Veiledning Helsenorge on 23 32 70 00. See also patient travel and complaining about health services.

Sources

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.