Tourists' use of the healthcare system has previously caused great debate, as there have been concerns that tourists would put even more pressure on the healthcare system and that this would ultimately be detrimental to the local population.
Now the Greenland Government has sent a bill for consultation, which, if adopted, will ensure financial compensation from certain tourists if they use the healthcare system.
The bill will make it possible to charge tourists and others who are in Greenland but who are not entitled to free treatment:
"This (the bill, ed.) enables the introduction of consultation start fees or similar payments that cover the healthcare system's real administrative burdens based on a reasonable estimate," the material for the bill states.
Estimate: Will contribute 4.8 million DKK
The introduction of such a consultation fee is estimated, with some uncertainty, to bring in around 4.8 million DKK annually to the national treasury.
It is emphasized that the bill does not include persons who are registered in the population register and have residence in Greenland, and therefore the bill does not affect ordinary citizens.
On the other hand, the new rules are primarily aimed at tourists and other visitors without the right to free healthcare.
Certain tourists will continue to have the right to free treatment. This applies, among others, to persons from Denmark and the Faroe Islands, who are entitled to free medical care in the event of acute illness, accidents and similar situations.
Acute or non-acute?
According to the proposal, people from the other Nordic countries and from EU countries will also continue to have access to selected free services in accordance with existing agreements on reciprocal healthcare treatment.
The new tariffs will broadly affect tourists who seek healthcare services for non-urgent treatment, which will also apply to tourists from Denmark.
If a patient lives outside the Nordic countries and the EU, they will be affected regardless of whether the treatment need is acute or non-urgent, when they are not covered by agreements on free treatment.
