Occupational and student healthcare

In addition to having access to the national Swedish healthcare, you have the right to healthcare for work related injuries or illnesses provided by your employer or place of study. This covers common occupational risks for doctoral students, such as burn-out, stress related issues, eye and posture issues caused by working at the desk etc., as well as field specific issues and in general all work-related health issues, physical and psychological.

If you are employed, you qualify for occupational healthcare, usually through a provider contracted by your employer. 

If you are employed on a doctoral studentship, it is often the case that the initial visit, or several visits, are paid for by the administration without involving the head of the department or equivalent. For further visits, it is the head of department or equivalent that approves and pays for the visits. Your supervisors are not informed of you accessing occupational care.

If you are employed by another entity than your university, you should be able to access occupational healthcare through your employer. The HR department should be able to answer your questions.

If you are financed through a scholarship, you may still qualify for accessing the occupational health services. Otherwise, there are student health services at your university that you should be entitled to use. You can ask the student union, the ombudsperson for doctoral students, or your trade union for help. 

Some employers also offer preventive healthcare (friskvårdsbidrag), for example by covering the costs of gym passes or other sporting activities.