Because of a steady stream of travellers in Iceland, the pressure at Akureyri Hospital has increased significantly in recent years. According to ruv.is, the number of people visiting the Emergency Room (ER) in the past five years has increased by 19%. At the same time, the number of foreign nationals to be admitted to the hospital has increased by 44%.
The CEO of emergency-, information-, and quality services at the hospital, Hildigunnur Svavarsdóttir, says the time it takes to assist foreign nationals takes much longer than assisting locals – often due to language barriers and payment options when insurance coverage may be difficult to access.
The Akureyri Hospital staff have been under increased pressure in recent years.
Because of a steady stream of travellers in Iceland, the pressure at Akureyri Hospital has increased significantly in recent years. According to ruv.is, the number of people visiting the Emergency Room (ER) in the past five years has increased by 19%. At the same time, the number of foreign nationals to be admitted to the hospital has increased by 44%.
The CEO of emergency-, information-, and quality services at the hospital, Hildigunnur Svavarsdóttir, says the time it takes to assist foreign nationals takes much longer than assisting locals – often due to language barriers and payment options when insurance coverage may be difficult to access.
