Patients pay for back surgery after state funding runs out

Patients in Iceland have paid for back surgery to avoid permanent damage after the annual funding quota for the procedures ran out midway through the year, mbl.is reported.

Orkuhúsið, which has a contract with Icelandic Health Insurance for 100 back operations a year, currently has about 120 patients waiting for surgery, managing director Dagný Jónsdóttir said. In some cases, delays can cause permanent and irreversible harm.

Jónsdóttir said the situation was becoming untenable as funding for the procedures declined and waiting lists grew. She also said Icelandic Health Insurance had threatened to terminate its contract with the company because it let patients pay for necessary operations that the state was not prepared to fund.

The government has also required Orkuhúsið to spread the operations over 12 months, even though they could be carried out sooner to address urgent cases more quickly.