Young doctors fear moving back to the Faroe Islands

Young doctors say they may not return to the Faroe Islands because funding for specialist training is being cut back. The association Yngri Læknar Føroyar has criticised the coalition for giving too little priority to doctors’ further training, according to KVF.

Katrin Dahl Hanusson, deputy chair of the association, said only two of five agreed specialist training posts will be funded next year. The specialist doctor fund has also been abolished, while the budget for training younger doctors remains unchanged.

Becoming a doctor involves six years of university study followed by a one-year KBU post. Specialist training generally begins with an introductory post lasting about a year, followed by four to five years of main training. For example, a doctor hoping to specialise in cardiology must first complete an introduction in internal medicine. Doctors may need to take several introductory posts before they can move on.

Some parts of medical training are now available in the Faroe Islands. Doctors can complete specialist training in general medicine there, and a flexible pathway is being developed that would allow them to spend one or two years of specialist training in the islands and complete the remaining two or three years elsewhere.

Earlier measures, including KBU and more introductory posts, helped encourage doctors to return, Hanusson said. The flexible training pathways also made it possible for them to stay in the Faroe Islands for several consecutive years, which she said was especially valuable for doctors with families.

Hanusson urged political leaders to restore funding to the specialist doctor fund and increase investment in training younger doctors, so they would feel able to return and settle in the Faroe Islands.