Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, chief nursing officer at the National University Hospital, believes the hospital will have to hire large numbers of nurses and laboratory technicians from abroad within the foreseeable future. She believes there are not enough people being trained in these professions in Iceland. The minister of health believes the hospital is in good shape to respond to projected future needs.
100-500 radiologists needed
Sigríður argues there is a large built up demand for specialized health care workers in Iceland. “We could hire 100 radiologists right today,” she tells local newspaper Fréttablaðið. “In the next three to four years we estimate that as many as 900 radiologists will retire, while we will be training 400 new radiologists.”
She points out that the average age of various specialized nurses, laboratory technicians and biomedical scientists at the hospital is very high and that large numbers of these will be retiring in the next years. At the same time not enough new people are being trained to fill these positions.
Ministry of health sees no shortage
This flies in the face of the assessment of the Ministry of health, which does not expect a shortage of health care professionals in the next few years. According to a lengthy answer prepared in response to a parliamentary request by Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, former minister of finance and member of the Left-Green Alliance, the ministry believes enough nurses and other health care professionals are being trained to meet projections of growing needs.
Sigríður’s experience at the hospital tells a different story, and that people within the hospital are “seriously worried we will be facing an acute shortage of health care professionals” in the coming years, especially nurses.
Hospital provides incoming radiologists with temporary housing
However, filling open positions with people from abroad should not be a serious problem for the hospital. Óskar Sesar Reykdalsson, head of research at the hospital tells the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that it is no more expensive for the hospital to hire foreign radiologists than Icelandic radiologists. The hospital even provides incoming foreign radiologists with temporary housing until they find their own place to stay. “We try to help them as we can, offering them rental properties owned by the hospital, even if some find their own place immediately.”
Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir, chief nursing officer at the National University Hospital, believes the hospital will have to hire large numbers of nurses and laboratory technicians from abroad within the foreseeable future. She believes there are not enough people being trained in these professions in Iceland. The minister of health believes the hospital is in good shape to respond to projected future needs.
100-500 radiologists needed
Sigríður argues there is a large built up demand for specialized health care workers in Iceland. “We could hire 100 radiologists right today,” she tells local newspaper Fréttablaðið. “In the next three to four years we estimate that as many as 900 radiologists will retire, while we will be training 400 new radiologists.”
She points out that the average age of various specialized nurses, laboratory technicians and biomedical scientists at the hospital is very high and that large numbers of these will be retiring in the next years. At the same time not enough new people are being trained to fill these positions.
Ministry of health sees no shortage
This flies in the face of the assessment of the Ministry of health, which does not expect a shortage of health care professionals in the next few years. According to a lengthy answer prepared in response to a parliamentary request by Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, former minister of finance and member of the Left-Green Alliance, the ministry believes enough nurses and other health care professionals are being trained to meet projections of growing needs.
Sigríður’s experience at the hospital tells a different story, and that people within the hospital are “seriously worried we will be facing an acute shortage of health care professionals” in the coming years, especially nurses.
Hospital provides incoming radiologists with temporary housing
However, filling open positions with people from abroad should not be a serious problem for the hospital. Óskar Sesar Reykdalsson, head of research at the hospital tells the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that it is no more expensive for the hospital to hire foreign radiologists than Icelandic radiologists. The hospital even provides incoming foreign radiologists with temporary housing until they find their own place to stay. “We try to help them as we can, offering them rental properties owned by the hospital, even if some find their own place immediately.”
