Denmark's health system is highly digitised and has its own terminology. Understanding a handful of key terms makes navigating it significantly easier — especially for accessing PrEP, testing, and emergency care.
The Health System
| Purpose | Danish Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Danish equivalent of a social security number | CPR-nummer (Civil Registration Number) | A 10-digit personal identifier assigned to everyone registered in Denmark. Your CPR number is the key to public health services. Short-term visitors can access Checkpoint and emergency care without one. |
| Denmark's digital identity system | MitID | Used for logging into public services online, including booking medical appointments via Sundhed.dk. If you have a CPR number, you should also have a MitID. |
| The physical yellow card issued to all CPR holders | Sundhedskort (Yellow Health Card) | It shows your CPR number and your registered GP. Present it at hospital appointments and GP visits. Keep it with you. |
| The national health portal at sundhed.dk | Sundhed.dk | Used for booking GP and hospital appointments, viewing your own health records, and accessing e-prescriptions. Requires MitID to log in. |
Key People and Institutions
| Purpose | Danish Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your registered family doctor | Eigen Læge (GP) | The gatekeeping role in Danish healthcare — for most specialist services, including PrEP, you need a referral from your Eigen Læge. |
| The community-run sexual health service operated by AIDS-Fondet | Checkpoint (AIDS-Fondet) | The gold standard for gay men's sexual health — Checkpoint provides free STI testing, HIV counselling, vaccination, PrEP referrals, and support services. Does not require a CPR number. aidsfondet.dk/checkpoint |
| The national HIV and sexual health organisation | AIDS-Fondet | Runs Checkpoint, provides counselling, advocates for policy change, and funds research. |
| The hospital department that prescribes PrEP and manages HIV in Denmark | Infektionsmedicinsk Afdeling (Infectious Disease Department) | PrEP is only available through these departments. The main centres are at Hvidovre Hospital and Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. |
| The hospital-based STI clinic | Venereaklinikken (STI Clinic) | Bispebjerg Hospital's Venereaklinikken is the main public STI service in Copenhagen. Handles complex presentations, treatment, and difficult-to-diagnose infections. |
| The hospital's own pharmacy | Hospitalsapoteket (Hospital Pharmacy) | Where PrEP and other hospital-prescribed medications are dispensed. PrEP cannot be collected from a regular pharmacy in Denmark. |
Key Terms
| Purpose | Danish Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A referral from your Eigen Læge (GP) to a specialist service | Henvisning (Referral) | Required for PrEP — you need a referring to the Infektionsmedicinsk Afdeling. Checkpoint can also facilitate referrals. |
| The hospital emergency department, where you go for PEP | Akutmodtagelse / Skadestue (Emergency Department) | Akutmodtagelse is the more modern term; Skadestue (injury room) is the older colloquial term. |
| A 24/7 telephone helpline for medical advice and triage in the Capital Region | 1813 (Capital Region Medical Helpline) | In the Capital Region, call 1813 before going to the emergency department — they triage your call and direct you to the most appropriate care. Outside the Capital Region, go to the hospital emergency department directly. |
| Testing at three sites: throat (svælg), rectum (endetarm), and urethra (urinrør) | Tre-stedstest / Tre-stedsprøve (Three-Site Test) | The standard for gay men — a urine-only test misses most gonorrhoea and chlamydia infections in this population. |
| A test result that warrants follow-up — not necessarily confirmed positive | Reaktivt resultat (Reactive Result) | If a test is reactive, you will be contacted to discuss next steps. Do not panic and do not ignore it. |
Key Phrases
| Purpose | Danish Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous HIV test. | "Jeg vil gerne have en anonym HIV-test." | Getting Tested |
| I would like a full sexual health screen. | "Jeg vil gerne have en fuld seksuelt sundhedsundersøgelse." | |
| I want a throat swab, rectal swab, and urine test. | "Jeg vil gerne have en svælgprøve, rektalprøve og urinprøve." | |
| I'm on PrEP and need my three-month monitoring. | "Jeg tager PrEP og skal have min tre-måneders kontrol." | |
| I would like to start PrEP. Can I have a referral? | "Jeg vil gerne begynde på PrEP. Kan jeg få en henvisning?" | Starting PrEP |
| Can you give me a referral to the Infectious Disease Department at Hvidovre Hospital? | "Kan du give mig en henvisning til Infektionsmedicinsk Afdeling på Hvidovre Hospital?" | |
| I've had a high-risk sexual exposure to HIV within the last [X] hours and need PEP. | "Jeg har haft en høj-risiko seksuel eksponering for HIV inden for de sidste [X] timer og har brug for PEP." | Needing PEP |
| My partner was HIV-positive / unknown status. | "Min partner var HIV-positiv / ukendt status." | |
| I've had a high-risk exposure for HIV and need PEP. | "Jeg har haft en risikosituation for HIV og har brug for PEP." | Calling 1813 |
| When can I attend Hvidovre Emergency Department? | "Hvornår kan jeg komme til Hvidovre Akutmodtagelse?" | |
| Will this be shared with my GP? | "Vil dette blive delt med min Eigen Læge?" | Privacy |
| I prefer to keep my sexual health separate from my GP. | "Jeg foretrækker at holde min seksuelle sundhed adskilt fra min Eigen Læge." | |
| I have an EHIC card. | "Jeg har et europæisk sygesikringskort (EHIC)." | Visitors |
| I need help. | "Jeg har brug for hjælp!" | Emergency |
| Call an ambulance. | "Ring 112 for en ambulance!" |
Note: Checkpoint records are held by AIDS-Fondet separately from the public health record system. Checkpoint staff can clarify what, if anything, is shared with your GP.
Emergency Numbers
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 112 | Pan-European emergency (ambulance, fire, police) |
| 1813 | Capital Region medical helpline — call before attending A&E (24/7) |
| 70 11 31 31 | AIDS-Fondet — helpline and Checkpoint information |
Quick Reference
| Purpose | Danish Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your Danish ID number — needed for most services | CPR-nummer | Centralt Personregister |
| Digital identity for online health booking | MitID | Mit ID |
| Physical ID card showing CPR and registered GP | Sundhedskort | Yellow Health Card |
| GP — needed for referrals | Eigen Læge | Own Doctor |
| Infectious Disease Department — where you get PrEP | Infektionsmedicinsk Afdeling | — |
| Hospital STI clinic | Venereaklinikken | — |
| Hospital pharmacy — where PrEP is dispensed | Hospitalsapoteket | — |
| Emergency department — where you go for PEP | Akutmodtagelse | — |
| Capital Region medical helpline (call before A&E) | 1813 | — |
| Pre-exposure prophylaxis (HIV prevention before exposure) | PrEP | Præ-eksponeringsprofylakse |
| Post-exposure prophylaxis (emergency HIV prevention) | PEP | Post-eksponeringsprofylakse |
| Sexually transmitted infection | STI | Seksuelt overført infektion |
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