Coalition rejects taking over chief medical officer’s office alone

Faroe Islands’ governing coalition says it would be unclear who was responsible if the islands took over the chief medical officer’s office without also assuming other policy areas, KVF reports.

The majority on the parliament’s Welfare Committee made the argument in its report on a proposal to take over the office. The chief medical officer is currently Danish. All opposition parties support the proposal.

The majority advises against the takeover and says it is best to continue transferring responsibilities gradually, where the conditions for doing so are in place. The Health Directorate estimated last year that taking over the office would cost just over four million kroner.

The opposition members on the committee say a 2025 working group report provides a sound basis for the transfer. They urge the government to bring forward the necessary legislation based on the report, published in February last year, arguing that authority and responsibility should go together.