Chief doctor says specialist fund is vital to medical care

The proposed 2027 budget removes a fund used to hire specialist doctors, a move the chief physician at Landssjúkrahúsið says would undermine the development of specialist services in the Faroe Islands, Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) reports.

The fund was set up to pay for new specialist positions that had not previously been funded. Jan Rasmussen, chief physician at the hospital’s medical department, said it was essential for the fund to continue.

The department currently has 25 specialist doctors but needs 48, Rasmussen said. Three specialists in diabetes and hormonal diseases, geriatric medicine and heart disease are due to complete their specialist training next year.