Danish government announces five billion kroner health spending plan
A new spending plan for the Danish public health system was announced on Tuesday including investment aimed at improving treatment times for cancer patients.
An extra five billion kroner per year is to be spent on Denmark’s health service, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told press on Tuesday.
Along with Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Health Minister Sophie Løhde, Frederiksen presented a major new spending scheme aimed at patching up the public health system.
“Many things are going well” in the health system, Frederiksen said, but “there are also some major challenges”.
“That’s why we have decided to carry out massive investments in our health in Denmark,” she said.
READ ALSO:
- 'One in four' cancer patients in Denmark not treated within recommended time
- What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?
Staff shortages and long waiting times are two key issues that have presented problems across the Danish public health system in recent years, with existing problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five billion kroner announced on Tuesday comes in addition to earlier rounds of additional spending put in place by the government as it has attempted to address the problems.
“We are able to do what we are doing today, a major boost for our health system, because the Danish economy is doing better than we expected,” Frederiksen said in reference to an expected economic slowdown related to inflation, high energy prices and the war in Ukraine.
An economic summary published last week by the government set out a more optimistic outlook for the country’s finances than earlier predicted.
The government also said on Tuesday that it will set aside 400 million kroner specifically on improving cancer treatment at Danish hospitals.
Over one in four patients under hospital care for cancer did not receive treatment within recommended timeframes last year, the Danish Health Data Authority (Sundhedsdatastyrelsen) said yesterday.
One of the aims of the spending plan will be to achieve earlier detection of cancer in patients.
“The figures for the number of cancer patients who survive cancer are stagnating,” Løhde said at the briefing.
“Only three out of four are being treated on time according to the medical guidelines. That is the lowest number ever. We must restore confidence,” she said.
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An extra five billion kroner per year is to be spent on Denmark’s health service, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told press on Tuesday.
Along with Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Health Minister Sophie Løhde, Frederiksen presented a major new spending scheme aimed at patching up the public health system.
“Many things are going well” in the health system, Frederiksen said, but “there are also some major challenges”.
“That’s why we have decided to carry out massive investments in our health in Denmark,” she said.
READ ALSO:
- 'One in four' cancer patients in Denmark not treated within recommended time
- What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?
Staff shortages and long waiting times are two key issues that have presented problems across the Danish public health system in recent years, with existing problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five billion kroner announced on Tuesday comes in addition to earlier rounds of additional spending put in place by the government as it has attempted to address the problems.
“We are able to do what we are doing today, a major boost for our health system, because the Danish economy is doing better than we expected,” Frederiksen said in reference to an expected economic slowdown related to inflation, high energy prices and the war in Ukraine.
An economic summary published last week by the government set out a more optimistic outlook for the country’s finances than earlier predicted.
The government also said on Tuesday that it will set aside 400 million kroner specifically on improving cancer treatment at Danish hospitals.
Over one in four patients under hospital care for cancer did not receive treatment within recommended timeframes last year, the Danish Health Data Authority (Sundhedsdatastyrelsen) said yesterday.
One of the aims of the spending plan will be to achieve earlier detection of cancer in patients.
“The figures for the number of cancer patients who survive cancer are stagnating,” Løhde said at the briefing.
“Only three out of four are being treated on time according to the medical guidelines. That is the lowest number ever. We must restore confidence,” she said.
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