Healthcare for exchange students

Please contact your nearest local health station if you experience sudden symptoms/sickness. At health stations, urgent care services are available on weekdays at 8:00-16:00.

Bring your insurance card (European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) and or private insurance card. It is good to have either a student card or your certificate of student status with you too. 

In evenings, at weekends and on national holidays, you can go to the Malmi Emergency Department or the Meilahti Emergency Department, if there’s an illness that can’t wait for the health station opening. 
Visiting address:
Meilahti, Bridge Hospital; Paciuksenkatu 3
Malmi Hospital: Talvelantie 6                                           

Please call the free Medical Helpline number 116 117 before visiting a health station or emergency department.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, please call the emergency number 112. 

Please only call an ambulance in life-threatening situations, in other cases use a taxi. You would pay a large sum for the use of an ambulance if the situation is not life-threatening. 

Helsinki city's emergency care instructions. 

Here you find information on emergency dental care. 

Please note that only in extremely urgent matters can students from countries outside the EU/EEA and the UK use the local health station or hospital emergency services.

Local Health Station

Please contact your nearest local health station if you have a health concern, experience sudden
symptoms/sickness, need support for the treatment of a long-term illness.

• You can get doctor´s appointments and new prescriptions only from Health Station
• At health stations, the services are available on weekdays from 8am to 4pm

Helsinki city's Student Health Care, Central reception

Student Health Care Nurse 

E-mail: sotepe.opi.studenthealthcare@hel.fi (non-urgent matters)

tel. +358 40 190 4408, Phone hours from Monday to Friday 12pm-1pm
Please call to make an appointment. Booked appointments only! 

Reception: Monday – Friday (during Finnish office hours)

Address: Lintulahdenkatu 10, 00500 Helsinki. 7 th floor with elevator

In case Student Health Care Nurse is not available (holiday or sick leave) please contact your
local Health Station.

Student Health Care Nurse provides:

• Health checks according to individual needs
• Mental health and substance abuse services
• Promotion of sexual health
• Contraception for students under 25 years old
• Prevention of infectious diseases: vaccinations (national vaccination programme)

You have been required to obtain a private health care insurance to obtain a residence permit. Here are examples of the private health care stations you can use: 

• Eira medical center
• Lääkärikeskus Aava
• Mehiläinen
• Terveystalo

If you are an exchange student from the EU, the United Kingdom, Australia or Quebec, you are entitled to medically necessary treatment in public health care. Exchange students from other countries need private medical expenses insurance.

Please read more at the EU Healthcare website (EU information on healthcare for the above-mentioned nationalities) about treatment and possible reimbursements.

Please note this only applies to medically necessary treatment that cannot wait until your return home. For non-urgent care for EU/EEA and UK citizens, we recommend using the Helsinki Student Health Care service. We also recommend that you obtain comprehensive health and travel insurance prior to your arrival in Helsinki so that you are covered for e.g. repatriation in medical emergencies.