MPs from the Northeast came to an open meeting of the staff of SAk during the parliamentary week. They were presented with information on the financial situation at SAk. The role of SAk as a teaching and support hospital was discussed and a detailed presentation of the new building at SAk.

“It is vital that we have good and frequent conversations with our MPs, and I have had this in the past. They are very well informed about the hospital’s difficult financial situation, but they also realize – like us – how important the hospital is for the whole country,” says CEO of SAk Hildigunnur Svavarsdóttir.

Health care efficiency

There were interesting discussions about how to streamline the healthcare system and increase the share of SAk to ease the pressure on Landspítali.

“Sometimes the role of SAk is forgotten looking at the healthcare system as a whole and the possibilities that SAk offers in helping out with Landspítali to some extent. With better access to specialists in the area, we need to send fewer people to the capital for treatments or operations,” Hildigunnur says.

Frequent trips to Reykjavík to attend treatments

Dr. Ragnheiður Harpa Arnardóttir, associate professor at the University of Akureyr, physiotherapist at SAk and specialist in lung disease training, took the initiative at the meeting and discussed the importance of patients receiving treatment in the local community, as this group of lung disease patients would find it even harder to travel to seek treatment.

“Despite the difficult operating situation of the Akureyri Hospital, I see the importance of its existence and consider it one of our most important healthcare institutions nationwide, which should be strengthened further. According to the Healthcare Act, the hospital is required to provide services in nearly all specialized medical fields, but unfortunately, these services have been declining. We heard clearly the concerns of SAk staff. MPs from the Northeast Region stand firmly behind the Akureyri Hospital and we had a good conversation with the staff, who were not afraid to come up with ideas for rationalization. We can all agree that it wrong to send patients to the capital for treatment when one doctor could travel to Akureyri to treat this group in their hometown. We should use the opportunities in providing healthcare near the patients and this service could relieve the pressure on Landspítali. We will do everything in our power to safeguard the statutory role of the Akureyri Hospital,” Ingibjörg Isaksen said after the meeting.