Múlaþing rejects priority preschool places for health workers’ children

Múlaþing’s family council has rejected a request to give health workers’ children temporary priority for preschool places in Egilsstaðir because of staffing shortages in healthcare, mbl.is reported.

The council said it shared the Health Institution of East Iceland’s concerns about staffing and stressed the importance of strong healthcare services. However, it said equal treatment should guide the allocation of preschool places, and that only compelling reasons and urgent circumstances could justify an exception. It did not consider the case for an exception sufficiently established.

The council also said the situation at preschools in Egilsstaðir was temporary. Work is under way to recruit staff, with the aim of offering preschool places to all children. It encouraged people interested in working for the municipality or becoming childminders to find out about the available options.

Akureyri took a different approach earlier this year, granting doctors’ and nurses’ children temporary priority for preschool places to help the Akureyri Hospital recruit staff. The arrangement was later extended to employees of the Health Institution of North Iceland. The priority moves children up the general waiting list, but does not place them ahead of children who receive priority because of support needs or social circumstances. Two employees had used the arrangement at the time of the report.