Asylum seekers and refugees: accessing health care
Information on health and social care services for people seeking asylum and people with refugee/humanitarian protection status in Northern Ireland.
Health care
Health Care in Northern Ireland is usually free of charge. However, if you have newly arrived, there may be some charges depending on your circumstances.
The Health and Social Care (HSC) website has information to help you get the health and social care services you need. It includes information about dentists, maternity services, interpreters, emergency care and much more:
There is also information about health services in the following nidirect section:
General Practitioners (GPs)
In Northern Ireland, local or family doctors are called General Practitioners or GPs. They are usually the first point of contact for getting medical care.
You should register with a GP as soon as you arrive in Northern Ireland. Don't wait until you need health or social care services.
To use health and social care services, you must be registered with a local GP surgery.
You can find out more about what GPs do and search for your closest GP at the following links:
Find out more about registering with a doctor, including the forms you need to fill in:
COVID-19 vaccinations
If you have not received your COVID-19 vaccinations, or only received in part, you may wish to find out how to get a COVID vaccine in Northern Ireland.
Details on how to get a COVID vaccine are available at the following link:
Organ donation
The law around organ and tissue donation in Northern Ireland has changed to an opt-out system. Find out more at:
Get free period products
Free period products are available in all public libraries, including mobile libraries, for all who need to use them.
You can collect period products for yourself or for someone else, for example family members or friends - or someone else can collect them for you.
There are different types of products to choose from and you can take as many as you need.