Outside Stockholm: Sexual Health in Sweden

The Reality

Sweden's healthcare is organised at regional level, and quality is generally high across the country. The key difference from Stockholm is that outside the capital, there is no equivalent of Venhälsan — the specialist gay and bisexual men's clinic. Instead, care flows through the regional Infektionsmottagning (infectious disease outpatient), Sesam/STI-mottagning (sexual health clinic), and RFSL local chapters.

Smittskyddslagen applies nationally — testing and treatment for HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis are free everywhere in Sweden.

Gothenburg (Göteborg)

Sweden's second city has good infrastructure.

Sesam — Sahlgrenska University Hospital Website: sahlgrenska.se / 1177.se (Västra Götaland region) Phone: 031-342 18 60 Sahlgrenska's sexual health clinic provides free STI testing and PrEP management. Self-referral accepted. Three-site swab testing available — specify your sexual practices when booking.

RFSL Göteborg Website: rfsl.se/goteborg Phone: 031-13 07 19 RFSL Göteborg runs community support, counselling, and rapid testing events. Check the website for current testing schedules.

PEP in Gothenburg: Infektionsakuten, Sahlgrenska University Hospital — Gröna Stråket 9, Gothenburg; 031-342 10 00

Malmö

Sesam / STI-mottagning — Skåne University Hospital (SUS) Website: skane.se / 1177.se (Skåne region) Malmö / Lund campus Free STI testing and PrEP prescribing. Book via 1177.se or phone.

RFSL Malmö Website: rfsl.se/malmo Rapid testing, community support.

PEP in Malmö: Infektionsmottagning / Akutmottagning at Skåne University Hospital — Inga Marie Nilssons gata, Malmö; 040-33 10 00

Uppsala

Infektionsmottagning — Akademiska sjukhuset 751 85 Uppsala Phone: 018-611 00 00 PrEP prescribing, STI testing, free under Smittskyddslagen. Uppsala is a student city and the Infektionsmottagning here is well-used.

PEP in Uppsala: Akutmottagning, Akademiska sjukhuset.

Linköping and Östergötland

Sesam / Infektionsmottagning — Universitetssjukhuset Linköping Phone: 010-103 00 00 (Region Östergötland) STI testing and PrEP; book via 1177.se.

Umeå (Northern Sweden)

Infektionskliniken — Norrlands universitetssjukhus (NUS) Umeå Phone: 090-785 00 00 PrEP and STI care for northern Sweden. RFSL Umeå (rfsl.se/umea) provides community support.

RFSL Chapters Nationally

RFSL has local chapters in most major Swedish cities. Even where testing and clinical services are not run by RFSL locally, the chapter can:

Advise on local affirming healthcare providers
Provide peer support and counselling
Connect you to the national RFSL network

Check rfsl.se for the full chapter list.

Home Testing

Sweden does not have a widely established postal HIV test service equivalent to some other countries. However:

HIV self-test kits are available at apoteket (pharmacy) and online — no prescription needed; costs approximately 200–350 SEK
For full STI testing including bacterial swabs, you need to attend a clinic in person
1177.se provides region-specific advice on the nearest Sesam or Infektionsmottagning to you

PrEP Outside Stockholm

Every Swedish region has PrEP prescribing capacity at its Infektionsmottagning or Sesam clinic. The process is the same as in Stockholm (assessment, pre-PrEP bloods, prescription via Läkemedelsförmånen) but waiting times for first appointments vary by region.

Book via 1177.se using your Personnummer or call the regional clinic directly.

Emergency Numbers (All Sweden)

Service	Number	Hours
Emergency services	112	24h
1177 healthcare advice	1177	24h
Sahlgrenska Infektionsakuten (Gothenburg PEP)	031-342 10 00	24h
SUS Akutmottagning (Malmö PEP)	040-33 10 00	24h

For PEP anywhere in Sweden: go to the Akutmottagning or Infektionsakuten of the nearest large hospital and say "Jag behöver PEP efter en HIV-riskexponering."