Denmark buys two emergency hospitals for wounded troops

Denmark’s regions are buying two mobile emergency hospitals to prepare for a possible influx of wounded soldiers, DR reports. The purchase will cost 100 million kroner and is intended to strengthen the country’s health emergency response.

The hospitals will be able to receive wounded NATO troops or civilians injured during a military crisis or conflict near Denmark. They could also be used after major accidents or environmental incidents, said Lars Gaardhøj, chair of the Capital Region of Denmark.

The facilities will consist of containers that can be unfolded and connected to form a reception centre resembling a smaller hospital emergency department. They can be transported by truck and set up within 12 hours. Staff will be able to assess or treat about 100 patients a day, before transferring them to other hospitals if needed.

The hospitals were bought from a Norwegian company and are due to arrive in late 2026 and early 2027. Their storage locations have not been disclosed.

Preparedness researcher Rasmus Dahlberg said Denmark was catching up with other NATO countries. He said Norway and Sweden were five to 10 years ahead, while Germany was already conducting exercises with large emergency hospitals.

Dahlberg described the purchase as a return to Cold War-era thinking about civil resilience, in which the military is not the only part of society involved in defending a country.