The growing numbers of travellers is contributing to a growing strain on Icelandic hospitals, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports. Doctors and nurses at the National University Hospital Landspítalinn have been struggling to find beds for all patients in the past few weeks.
Foreign travelers and growing numbers of elderly people
Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, the Chief nursing officer of the National University Hospital tells RÚV the reason is simply a growing number of patients. At the same time as the numbers of elderly people who need care and in many cases long term care has been growing in recent years the hospital has had to take care of growing numbers of foreign travellers. Other hospitals around the country have seen a similar development.
“We feel this increase acutely because we have been running the hospital near top capacity,” Sigríður tells RÚV. Healthcare professionals and numerous commentators have warned for many years that budget cuts mean the National University Hospital and other hospitals are nearing their breaking point, and that massive investment is needed in the healthcare system to deal with the foreseeable increase in the number of elderly people. Rapidly growing numbers of foreign travellers are exacerbating the gradual increase in elderly patients.
Foreign travelers bring new administrative challenges
According to Sigríður the increase in foreign travellers adds to the strain, and causes several new problems for the hospital. Many need the assistance of interpreters while others need to be airlifted back home. In other cases, however, the health insurance of foreign travellers does not cover medical evacuation or health insurance companies prefer to pay for prolonged stay by foreign travellers at a hospital in Iceland, rather than pay for medical evacuation. All of this creates new and previously unknown challenges for healthcare professionals, according to Sigríður.
The growing numbers of travellers is contributing to a growing strain on Icelandic hospitals, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports. Doctors and nurses at the National University Hospital Landspítalinn have been struggling to find beds for all patients in the past few weeks.
Foreign travelers and growing numbers of elderly people
Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, the Chief nursing officer of the National University Hospital tells RÚV the reason is simply a growing number of patients. At the same time as the numbers of elderly people who need care and in many cases long term care has been growing in recent years the hospital has had to take care of growing numbers of foreign travellers. Other hospitals around the country have seen a similar development.
“We feel this increase acutely because we have been running the hospital near top capacity,” Sigríður tells RÚV. Healthcare professionals and numerous commentators have warned for many years that budget cuts mean the National University Hospital and other hospitals are nearing their breaking point, and that massive investment is needed in the healthcare system to deal with the foreseeable increase in the number of elderly people. Rapidly growing numbers of foreign travellers are exacerbating the gradual increase in elderly patients.
Foreign travelers bring new administrative challenges
According to Sigríður the increase in foreign travellers adds to the strain, and causes several new problems for the hospital. Many need the assistance of interpreters while others need to be airlifted back home. In other cases, however, the health insurance of foreign travellers does not cover medical evacuation or health insurance companies prefer to pay for prolonged stay by foreign travellers at a hospital in Iceland, rather than pay for medical evacuation. All of this creates new and previously unknown challenges for healthcare professionals, according to Sigríður.
