Iceland Health
Signing of an agreement on ophthalmology in East Iceland
15th November 2024
Iceland Health, the Ministry of Health and the Healthcare Institute of East Iceland signed an agreement yesterday on ophthalmology in East Iceland. The agreement guarantees this service to residents in East Iceland.
The arrangements of the service involve that ophthalmists will have reception in Egilsstaðir, five days at a time, five to seven times a year. Furthermore, they will provide telehealth services through telemedical equipment that the Healthcare Institution of East Iceland has recently purchased. The Healthcare Institution will also have a specially trained employee who will provide services to patients in connection with the use of the equipment on the site.
There is high hope for this new service, as there has been no service for eye doctors in East Iceland for some time. The eye doctors who have taken on the service have experience of similar services abroad, which has been successful.
Here we see Icelandic health policy implemented, where the goal is to equalize access to healthcare for Icelanders regardless of residence and to use contracts and technological solutions in the field of telehealth services. The contract with specialist doctors is an important part of this, but it is intended to support the advancement of specialist doctors’ services with emphasis on innovation and digital development. This contract can also become a model for specialist services throughout the country.
says Minister of Health Willum Þór Þórsson.
Large and important milestone for healthcare in rural areas
This is a major and important step in healthcare in rural areas and ensures access to eye care in their home communities for the people of East Iceland. In recent years, Iceland Health has signed agreements to strengthen services in rural areas and we hope to increase their number further.
says Sigurður Helgi Helgason, CEO of Iceland Health.
We at HSA have felt a great lack of services for eye doctors in the area, so many people have had to travel long distances to get services for their eye doctors, and unfortunately many people simply have not received any of those services. Now we are seeing the end of that with this exciting project that is now underway.
says Guðjón Hauksson, director of the Health Institute of East Iceland.