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Factsheet for measure DK-2022-16/2286 – measures in Denmark

Access to health services for Ukrainians with temporary residence permits

Adgang til sundhedsvæsenet for ukrainere der har opholdstilladelse under særloven

Country Denmark , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 13 April 2022 – 20 March 2024
Context War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Measures to prevent social hardship
– Access to healthcare
Author Carsten Jørgensen (FAOS, University of Copenhagen), Anders Randrup (Oxford Research)
Measure added 16 May 2022 (updated 20 June 2022)

Background information

The Minister of Health has issued a new executive order (442 of 09/04/2022) giving Ukrainians who have applied for a residence permit in Denmark under the special law access to necessary health services while their application is being processed.

All Ukrainians who are seeking a temporary residence permit will thus be issued a yellow health insurance certificate and be entitled to health services on an equal footing with others residing in Denmark. It does not matter if the citizen is living in a private home, a place given by the municipality or is placed in an asylum.

Content of measure

Before this measure, only Ukrainians who were seeking residence permits and were accommodated privately or by the municipalities, had the rights to get acute and continued treatment. Ukrainians living in asylums only had rights to necessary treatments.

This measure ensures that all Ukrainians seeking residence permit can get acute and continued treatment, which include:

Right to emergency and continued hospital treatment

Covers hospital treatment in case of accidents, sudden illness and birth or sudden worsening of chronic illness, etc. The regional hospitals can offer assessment and treatment that goes beyond the acute need for treatment if the hospital assesses that the specific circumstances make it unreasonable to refer the patient for treatment in the home country.

Right to necessary health services

A health service is necessary if it is pain relieving or urgent. A treatment is considered urgent if it can not wait until the alien is granted a residence permit or departure, because the condition can involve not insignificant risks of lifelong injury, development of severe disease progression or chronicity of the condition

Entitled to all benefits of the Health Act Ukrainians who have been granted a temporary residence permit under the Special Act are entitled to all the benefits of the Health Act if they are registered in the CPR register and have been issued the yellow health card.

Use of measure

There is no data that shows how many Ukrainians have made use of the health care system yet. However, currently 26,614 people have applied for the special law, and are thus entitled to the health care card and treatment on equal terms as others residing in Denmark.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Does not apply to workers Does not apply to businesses Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
Local / regional government
National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Unknown Unknown
Form Not applicable Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • Unknown
  • Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

There is no records found on how social partners have assisted in implementing this measure. However, the measure is still in the implementation phase and The Ministry of Health is currently, in dialogue with KL, the Danish Regions and the General Practitioners' Organization (PLO), in the process of determining how the assistance to the privately and municipally accommodated Ukrainians is to be organized. Ukrainians who are accommodated in an asylum centers receive treatment through the doctor who is connected to the place.

Views and reactions

There is no explicit views on this measure.

Sources

  • 09 April 2022: Bekendtgørelse om adgang til ydelser efter sundhedsloven for personer uden opholdstilladelse fordrevet fra Ukraine (retsinformation.dk) (www.retsinformation.dk)
  • 12 April 2022: Sundhedshjælp til ukrainske flygtninge (sum.dk)

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Access to health services for Ukrainians with temporary residence permits, measure DK-2022-16/2286 (measures in Denmark), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/DK-2022-16_2286.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.