Denmark Will Permanently Cover Treatment Costs for Greenlandic Patients

Greenlandic patients who need specialized hospital treatment in Denmark will receive it on the same terms as Danish patients under a new agreement between the two governments.

The arrangement, signed by Danish Health Minister Ida Auken and Greenland’s minister for health and persons with disabilities, Anna Wangenheim, will become permanent in January 2027. Denmark will take over the cost, meaning Greenland’s health service will no longer be billed for specialized hospital treatment provided in Danish hospitals.

A medical advisory council anchored in Greenland will assess which types of treatment should be handled locally and which should be provided in Denmark. Auken said many Greenlandic patients need specialized care that Greenland cannot currently provide because it does not have enough patients to sustain the required expertise.

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Many Greenlandic patients need specialized treatment that cannot currently be carried out in Greenland, because there are not enough patients to maintain the necessary specialization.

The agreement follows a framework deal reached by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in September last year. That package totaled 1.6 billion kroner and included increased Danish support for Greenland’s health service.

The new arrangement will release about 180 million kroner each year for better healthcare and development in Greenland. Wangenheim said Greenland should continue treating as many patients as possible locally, but those needing care unavailable there should be able to receive treatment in Denmark on equal terms with Danish patients.

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Patients who need specialized treatment that cannot be carried out in Greenland should be offered treatment in Denmark on equal terms with Danes.