Kári Stefánsson, the CEO of DeCode genetics criticizes the government’s “short-sighted” budget priorities and failure to live up to the election promises to prioritize in the interest of a “first class healthcare system”, a promise made by both coalition parties. In a op-ed in the local newspaper Fréttablaðið Kári threatens to collect 100,000 signatures of voters who promise never to vote for the two coalition parties, the conservative Independence party and the Centre-right Progressive party due to their dismissive treatment of sick people and those in need for medical care.
Kári is a neurologist and Iceland's most famous scientist, pioneering the monitoring of the DNA of a large fraction of an entire country's population.
A budget which prioritizes funerals over healthcare?
Kári argues the 2016 budget does not provide anything near adequate funding for the National University hospital. “The 2016 budget bill now before Althingi envisions funding for the National University Hospital will remain unchanged, even if it is clear its operations will cost four billion krona (31 million USD/28 million EUR) more to provide the same level of service.”
At the same time the budget envisions increasing funding for the State Lutheran Church. Kári quotes a joke he heard from a fellow doctor: “Perhaps the government really understands how serious the problem of the healthcare system really is, but instead of addressing the problem the government is going to ensure that those who are killed due to it are at least buried in style and that there is no shortage of good funerals.”
Threatens to organize mass action against the governing parties
Kári demands changes to the budget, and threatens the government and coalition parties severe consequences if they do not listen to reason: “Then, I and my colleagues collect 100,000 signatures to a document urging people to never again vote for the political parties which formed this governent, due to their cold and callous attitude toward those among us who are sick or in need for medical attention.”
Short-sighted savings which result in enormous costs, disability and death
The shortfall in funding for the National University Hospital is not only unacceptable, Kári argues, but seriously short-sighted. As an example he points out that doctors at the hospital have recently been performing operations under the leadership of Sigfús Gizurarson to stop atrial fibrillation and thus reduce the risk of stroke. However, there is only funding for 60 operations annually, when doctors estimate the need to be closer to 150 operations.
Although this decision to create a waiting list for the operation results in some savings, which Kári estimates at 63 million ISK (490,000 USD/447,000 EUR) it ultimately results in significant costs to society: “This is a decision which ends in costing the nation large sums of money and the patients suffering and even permanent disability or life. It would be a sensible and reasonable improvement of the health care system to allow Sigfús to meet the need for these operations fully, even if that results in some short term costs.”
Kári Stefánsson, the CEO of DeCode genetics criticizes the government’s “short-sighted” budget priorities and failure to live up to the election promises to prioritize in the interest of a “first class healthcare system”, a promise made by both coalition parties. In a op-ed in the local newspaper Fréttablaðið Kári threatens to collect 100,000 signatures of voters who promise never to vote for the two coalition parties, the conservative Independence party and the Centre-right Progressive party due to their dismissive treatment of sick people and those in need for medical care.
Kári is a neurologist and Iceland's most famous scientist, pioneering the monitoring of the DNA of a large fraction of an entire country's population.
A budget which prioritizes funerals over healthcare?
Kári argues the 2016 budget does not provide anything near adequate funding for the National University hospital. “The 2016 budget bill now before Althingi envisions funding for the National University Hospital will remain unchanged, even if it is clear its operations will cost four billion krona (31 million USD/28 million EUR) more to provide the same level of service.”
At the same time the budget envisions increasing funding for the State Lutheran Church. Kári quotes a joke he heard from a fellow doctor: “Perhaps the government really understands how serious the problem of the healthcare system really is, but instead of addressing the problem the government is going to ensure that those who are killed due to it are at least buried in style and that there is no shortage of good funerals.”
Threatens to organize mass action against the governing parties
Kári demands changes to the budget, and threatens the government and coalition parties severe consequences if they do not listen to reason: “Then, I and my colleagues collect 100,000 signatures to a document urging people to never again vote for the political parties which formed this governent, due to their cold and callous attitude toward those among us who are sick or in need for medical attention.”
Short-sighted savings which result in enormous costs, disability and death
The shortfall in funding for the National University Hospital is not only unacceptable, Kári argues, but seriously short-sighted. As an example he points out that doctors at the hospital have recently been performing operations under the leadership of Sigfús Gizurarson to stop atrial fibrillation and thus reduce the risk of stroke. However, there is only funding for 60 operations annually, when doctors estimate the need to be closer to 150 operations.
Although this decision to create a waiting list for the operation results in some savings, which Kári estimates at 63 million ISK (490,000 USD/447,000 EUR) it ultimately results in significant costs to society: “This is a decision which ends in costing the nation large sums of money and the patients suffering and even permanent disability or life. It would be a sensible and reasonable improvement of the health care system to allow Sigfús to meet the need for these operations fully, even if that results in some short term costs.”
