Diabetes patients in central Denmark now face 29-week waits for critical foot care

Patients in Region Midtjylland must now wait an average of 29 weeks for essential foot therapy, up from 26 weeks at the start of the year, according to new figures released by the regional health authority.

The prolonged delays risk severe complications, including amputations, for diabetes patients who rely on timely treatment to prevent untreated wounds from progressing to infection or gangrene. “We cannot accept this situation for our patients,” said Poul Berggreen, a newly elected chair of the region’s foot therapy coordination committee and member of the Venstre party. Regional politicians have now tasked administrators with calculating the cost of reducing wait times.

Current measures under consideration include removing earnings caps for foot therapists—public subsidies that limit how much practitioners can bill within a set period—as well as issuing additional provider licenses to expand capacity for subsidized treatments. “If we’re serious about cutting these waits, we’ll have to allocate funds and prioritize this area,” Berggreen admitted, acknowledging that foot care has been overshadowed by higher-profile health initiatives like cancer and mental health services.

Wait times vary sharply across Denmark. While Region Midtjylland reports the longest delays, patients in Region Syddanmark face an average 20-week wait, and those in the Capital Region wait just 15 weeks. The disparity underscores what Berggreen called a failure to act sooner: “We’ve heard promises before, but the problem has only worsened. Now we have no choice but to address it.”

For patients like Tonnie Sørensen, a diabetic from Randers, the consequences are immediate. His recommended eight annual foot therapy sessions have been halved to four due to clinic overload. “That’s just how it is if others need care too,” Sørensen said. “I do what I can myself, but not everyone can.” Appointments are frequently postponed for more urgent cases, he added: “It tells you the system isn’t working.”

With diabetes rates projected to rise—from 360,000 Danes (6% of the population) today to 467,000 by 2030—demand for preventive foot care is expected to climb further, intensifying pressure on the under-resourced system.