National Hospital can cover most overseas treatment costs

The National Hospital can cover most of the additional 6.8 million kroner needed for specialised treatment abroad, KVF reports. The Ministry of Health and Energy has asked the Finance Committee for a further 800,000 kroner.

The hospital expects to fund most of the extra costs from money it already has. It is saving on the H building budget because the move there has been delayed. The psychiatric centre is due to move into the building in November, when it will be fully operational.

Spending on cancer initiatives is also expected to come in below budget. Of the 2.1 million kroner allocated in line with recommendations from the Hospital Service, about 1.6 million kroner is expected to be spent this year.

Late recruitment of specialists has also left a surplus in the account set aside for them, the ministry said. Some of that money will be used to shorten waiting lists, with a surplus of about 700,000 kroner still expected by the end of the year.