Despite growing privatization of the Icelandic health care system in recent years, a vast majority of Icelanders wants the system to be publicly run. A new survey reveals that Icelanders are becoming more opposed to privatization of health care.
A full 86% of the responders in a survey financed by the local trade union BSRB said that the state should exclusively run hospitals. That's an increase from the 80.7% that were of that opinion in a poll in 2006. The corresponding figure for healthcare centers was 79% and 68% for nursing homes.
The public and the government going in different directions on health care
Support for privately run hospitals was only 1%, 2% for healthcare centers and 3% for nursing homes. An overwhelming 91.9% of responders said that the government should allocate more funds to health care.
Rúnar Vilhjálmsson, a professor of sociology of health, told local newspaper Fréttablaðið that the Icelandic public has different views on privatization of health care than the government. While an overwhelming majority of the public want a publicly run health care system, the government has been moving in the opposite direction.
Despite growing privatization of the Icelandic health care system in recent years, a vast majority of Icelanders wants the system to be publicly run. A new survey reveals that Icelanders are becoming more opposed to privatization of health care.
A full 86% of the responders in a survey financed by the local trade union BSRB said that the state should exclusively run hospitals. That's an increase from the 80.7% that were of that opinion in a poll in 2006. The corresponding figure for healthcare centers was 79% and 68% for nursing homes.
The public and the government going in different directions on health care
Support for privately run hospitals was only 1%, 2% for healthcare centers and 3% for nursing homes. An overwhelming 91.9% of responders said that the government should allocate more funds to health care.
Rúnar Vilhjálmsson, a professor of sociology of health, told local newspaper Fréttablaðið that the Icelandic public has different views on privatization of health care than the government. While an overwhelming majority of the public want a publicly run health care system, the government has been moving in the opposite direction.
