There are no mandatory provisions for sex workers in Norway. Professional secrecy by medical personnel is granted by law for everybody, illegal migrants or not. Practice comply with these rules. 

Migrants, sex workers and others, have access to public health services, but they have to pay the costs, dependent upon their permit to stay. For example, a non-resident may have an abortion, but she has to pay about 1000 euro for expenses, while it is free for nationals.

If you are an  EEA citizen and hold a European Health Insurance Card you pay the same share of costs as Norwegian citizens for necessary medical treatment. This also applies to migrants who hold a permit to stay and work (for example Schengen citizens, asylumseekers, people granted a reflection-period).

Undocumented migrants can have the same treatment as other migrants, but it is up to the service provider to decide if the treatment will be provided or not. In practise they are denied health care most places unless it is a matter of vital first aid.  Migrants, documented or not, have, by law, the right to necessary, vital first aid treatment.  Usually one will receive a bill.

The Communicable Diseases Control Act applies to everyone residing (temporarily or permanently) in the country – legally or illegal.  The Act grants the right to prevention, information, counselling, testing and diagnostics and also necessary and initial treatment.  This is free of charge. According to the law treatment can be instructed, but this has never been applied to our knowledge.  So it is reasonable to say that voluntary testing and treatment is a basic principle in Norwegian policy on communicable disease control.

 

HIV/AIDS treatment

National sex workers and asylum seekers have full access to HIV/AIDS treatment.

Migrant sex workers can have vital, necessary initial treatment.  If discovered HIV positive in Norway, decision on further medical treatment will be taken on purely medical grounds, regardless of legal status. Usually you will have full necessary treatment as long as you are in the country, regardless of legal status. The only known exception is when it is certain that you are going to leave the country soon and treatment is easily accessible where you are going.  Treatment is free of charge.  This applies to undocumented sex workers too.

 

Harm reduction for drug-users

There are low threshold harm-reduction units in most cities in Norway, providing health care, counselling, needle-exchange, condoms etc.

Migrant drug-users can use the low threshold facilities on the same terms as nationals.  However, they will usually not have access to detox, long term treatment or prescription of methadone or opiates unless in connection with other vital medical treatment. This applies to migrants and undocumented.

 

Protection from deportation.

If there are urgent, vital medical reasons one cannot be deported. If a person is in need of long term HIV/AIDS medical treatment that is not obtainable in the destination country or faces serious exclusion because of his/her medical condition, one can obtain a permit to stay on humanitarian ground.

In practice the threshold for such a provision is rather high. HIV status alone will not be a reason for granting a stay on humanitarian grounds.