What’s up doc: Copenhagen ‘ghetto’ to finally get GPs again

Tingbjerg finally getting a practicing doctor after two-year absence

Residents of Tingbjerg in Copenhagen will soon not have to stray outside their district when seeing their general practitioner (GP).

Because of crime and other troubles, the 3,200 citizens living in the vulnerable district haven’t had a GP in their own area for two years. But now Copenhagen Municipality and the regional authority Region Hovedstaden have managed to recruit two new doctors to the embattled neighbourhood.

“We, as a municipality, have decided to take charge of the situation because we believe it is imperative that the problem involving a lack of doctors in Tingbjerg is solved,” said Ninna Thomsen, the deputy mayor for health and care issues in Copenhagen.

“Tingbjerg is a vulnerable area and we must think outside the box if we wish to succeed in creating greater social equality across the city.”

READ MORE: City hall to invest half a billion into struggling district

Hotline sweetener
As part of efforts to make the area more attractive to prospective GPs, the politicians have also offered a free interpreter hotline for the doctors settling in Tingbjerg. The new doctors are expected to open their practices within a year.

Similar efforts by the authorities have also proved successful in other vulnerable areas in Denmark, such as in Ishøj and Halsnæs.

Tingbjerg, one of 25 areas on Denmark’s infamous ‘Ghetto List’, often finds itself in the media for the wrong reasons and its struggles led Copenhagen Municipality to invest 500 million kroner into the beleaguered district over a ten year period in 2015.




Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • Inside Denmark’s innovation engine

    Inside Denmark’s innovation engine

    With half of its staff being international, the BioInnovation Institute reflects Denmark’s broader transformation into a global innovation hub. But can the country—and Europe—keep up the pace? “If reforms are made now, we can close the gap in ten years,” explains BII’s CEO

  • Internationals’ labour contributes 361 billion DKK to Denmark’s GDP, and it is growing strongly every year

    Internationals’ labour contributes 361 billion DKK to Denmark’s GDP, and it is growing strongly every year

    According to a report by the Danish Chamber of Commerce, internationals’ contribution is 12% of the country’s GDP. In 2023, it was 322 billion DKK, and in 2008, it was 136 billion DKK. “Internationals make a gigantic difference in our prosperity and welfare,” comments Morten Langager, the Director of Dansk Erhverv.

  • International designers struggle to find jobs in Denmark

    International designers struggle to find jobs in Denmark

    Many internationals come to Denmark to work as designers, but the field appears to be one of the hardest to break into. The Copenhagen Post spoke with two internationals struggling to find their way into the industry.