3 Ways to Get Medical Care in Iceland
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Come down with a cold? Need medicine? Get a bad cut or break a bone?
Unfortunately there’s a lot of ways you could hurt yourself in Iceland but the good news is that the Icelandic health system is built out well and here to help! In this video I talk about how to get medical care when you're in Iceland as well as how to pay for health services with or without insurance.
Locations for ALL health services and pharmacies listed on my Iceland maps ➡️ icelandwithaview.com/product-...
Travel health insurance: bit.ly/IWAVworldnomads
Icelandic words for reference:
Hospital: Sjúkrahús
Health Clinic: Heilsugæslan
Pharmacy: Apótek
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this is so weird! I followed your channel just as I was planning my big trip in Iceland, which I just got back from last week! Day 3, I fell on a tour of snaefellsnes penninsula, broke my ankle in three places and dislocated it! The tour guide and my dad (who I travelled with) literally carried me to the ambulance. I was taken to a clinic locally, the transferred to the National Hospital in Reykjavik and stayed there for the next week or so until I could fly home for treatment. I got my first surgery in Iceland (and that was complicated and didn't have the best outcome) and stayed a few days in the hospital. Upside apart from the surgery was all my general care--i have such huge gratitude to all the doctors and nurses and paramedics who treated me and cared for me and bathed me and fed me. The hospital was top notch and the nurses were second to none. I've been in hospital at home in Scotland since I got home last week and I would say if anything the care was higher standard in Iceland (though I have received a lot of great care at home!) The nurses literally couldn't help too much and since it's differently funded their hospitals are even a little higher standard than I'm used to maybe. I am especially grateful to everyone in the hospital and on my way there who spoke english to me and din't complain at my not knowing a word of icelandic. Especially to the lovely paramedic who took me in the first and second ambulance. He spoke only a few words of English but he was so kind and sweet and checked to make sure I could still feel my toes every few minutes and we found out 'morphine' is the same in Icelandic! The major downside was the cost. This will not phase Americans at all as you said, but since I'm used to the NHS it was brutal. I had insurance, but we had to pay upfront and it came out at around £17,000. The main bill was over a million krona and brought tears to my eyes! I had to get most from my parents, but hopefully of course we will get that back! That said, the operation was what was expensive. My crutches, for example, were very reasonable. Overall, I would say a big DON'T TRAVEL WITHOUT INSURANCE, and the thing has put me off travel for a while. BUT it has not put me off Iceland, I still want to come back. I was booked at the Sky Lagoon the day after it happened, I'm gutted. TL/DR Icelandic care is expensive if you're used to the NHS but the care is good, the people are lovely and the food is surprisingly good! (definitely compared to at home)
112 has an app which will show dispatch operators your location so you don’t have to try and pronounce the street you’re on
I can vouch for the care I received in Iceland. It was fantastic. The bill was very reasonable. I fell on the ice on Christmas Eve and ended up in the ER on Christmas morning. The staff was great. I ended up with a fractured elbow. The hotel staff was also wonderful getting the taxi to me. I was treated very well. Try not to get hurt, but if you do the medical care is fantastic.
My mom and I live in the US and last November we took our first trip to Iceland. On the first day we drove out to the black sands beach and while we were en a route an insane wind storm rolled in. Upon arriving we got out of the car and within 10 minutes the wind blew my mom over onto a set of rocks and she ended up breaking her wrist in two places. We were staying in Reykjavík and on the long drive back I stopped at a Bonus and grabbed a frozen bag of peas for her to ice her wrist until we got back to the city (which the nurses later said was “hysterically American of us to do” 😂). Fast forward to us finally finding an open hospital, we arrived to a packed waiting room and expected to be there the entire night. To our surprise, in a TOTAL of TWO hours she was triaged, x-rayed, seen by a doctor, casted up, written a prescription (for the equivalent of super extra strength tylenol) and discharged. The doctor even took the time to personally write a detailed letter explaining everything that was done and follow up recommendations for my mom to share with her primary care physician back in the US. Every single staff member was unconditionally kind and efficient - the most pleasant health care experience I have ever encountered. Upon being discharged, we also predicted the bill would be astronomical and had no idea how our insurance would come into play internationally. Another utterly pleasant surprise, the woman at the checkout counter said we could either fill out a bunch of paperwork needed for insurance and have it hang over our head in limbo until our US insurance figured things out, or we could pay $500 cash and be on our way without involving any insurance. Needless to say, we paid the cash. My mom and I both work in healthcare and we can confidently say this experience would have taken HOURS longer and cost thousands of dollars more back home. Keep it up Iceland, the US should take notes on how to do healthcare the right way.
I hope your mom is ok! The winds are something for sure!
As a UK traveller the advice here is to always get travel insurance as soon as you've booked your trip. As well as covering what could be eye watering expenses if you have an accident or serious illness and can't return home when you plan to, it also protects you in case you have to cancel your expensive trip before you go, say due to a serious illness or bereavement. Medical stuff isn't covered on our home insurance.
second comment--forgot to say! Keflavik airport also had top notch assistance for me getting home in a wheelchair, it was a breeze and I was so grateful!
My wife sprained her ankle in Hofn. We went to a clinic the next morning. Clinic visit only cost us 10,000kr which was 80.00 US at the time. We had travel insurance but we didn't even mess with it.
Thank you for this video. I love visiting Iceland yearly but got sick during my visit in May. I had no idea what to do so I took OTC medicines until I returned home, which made the illness worse. The info in this video would have helped me greatly. Again, many thanks!
I'm sorry about your trip, and glad that you find this helpful...now you'll know for next time. 🤩
We will be traveling to Iceland next year. Thanks for the info!
Any time! Thank you for watching!🤩
This is kind of random but would you be able to do a video on how you got a job there/citizenship/able to handle all the paperwork?
Great content... thanks
You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it!
Great video thanks
Thank you for watching!
Travel insurance is pretty standard for UK traveller. I have only used it once... in the US for an ear infection
Medical care is expensive here. I also recommend an urgent care clinic with a self-pay option. It is usually a better route for the uninsured
Læknavaktin, it opens: weeks: 17-22. Weekend: 9-22
Arrival
Hello, again?!! Here's the link to my free Arrival Guide!
icelandwithaview.com/arrival
Great video, thanks. Undervalued content right here, hopefully unnecessary, but better safe than sorry.
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching!
I have gotten an admission in Iceland. I need help with the health insurance. The cheapest health insurance on Sjova is 2m ISK anyobe who can recommend a cheaper alternative please let me know
Was your baby born in Iceland
of course my comment was removed.
In Reykjavík now traveling. Thank you for the tips!
BECAUSE , OF MY JUMPING BLOOD PRESSURE , I WAS TRAING TO CHECK IT OUT, WHILE ON ICELAND. IT IS SCANDALOUS SITUATION !!! THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME FROM 30 TO 60.- EURO FOR IT. MANY PHARMACIES DON'T HAVE THE APARATUSES.
I have gotten an admission in Iceland. I need help with the health insurance. The cheapest health insurance on Sjova is 2m ISK anyobe who can recommend a cheaper alternative please let me know