Minister says minor injury clinic needs legal basis

Health Minister Alma Möller says the government cannot authorise Litli spítalinn, a healthcare provider, to offer medical services without a sound policy and legal basis, mbl.is reports. The provider has asked Iceland Health Insurance to contribute to the costs of a minor injury service it plans to establish.

Möller said Landspítali, Iceland’s national hospital, may—with the minister’s permission—contract other healthcare institutions or health professionals to provide specific services. No assessment of this kind has been carried out since a contract for surgical procedures was made with independent providers. Two analyses of the need for a minor injury clinic, in 2022 and 2024, did not recommend opening one.

Asked whether Litli spítalinn could provide other services, such as beds, to ease pressure on Landspítali, Möller said any state purchase of services must be based on an assessment of need, quality, safety and cost-effectiveness, with patients’ interests at the forefront.

She added that an acute assessment unit for internal medicine, which opened on September 29, has significantly shortened the time patients wait in the emergency department for hospital admission, despite attendance being similar to or slightly higher than last year.

If the state considers buying services from private healthcare providers, it must select contractors on objective and fair grounds and ensure equal treatment, Möller said. She cited long-term contracts for waiting-list surgeries made by Iceland Health Insurance in 2025, following an open procurement process.