Faroese health authorities still working on expanded prescription rights for nurses

The Faroese Health Ministry is finalising a directive that will allow nurses to prescribe certain medications and vaccinate, though the legal framework has been in place since December, Kringvarp Føroya reports.

New legislation, based on a Danish model, came into effect on 1 December last year, granting nurses, specialist nurses, midwives, and dental hygienists broader prescribing authority. However, nurses will only be able to prescribe medications and administer vaccines once the ministry issues the formal directive.

The Health Ministry states that technical and procedural details must be resolved before the directive can be published. The aim of the law and directive is to streamline healthcare workflows and use resources more efficiently, reducing wait times for prescriptions and treatments.

The Faroese Nurses Association has called for the ministry to provide clear guidelines on implementing the law, as Denmark’s Health Ministry has done.