Minister of Health Álfheidur Ingadóttir was presented with a petition signed by 9,897 inhabitants of the Sudurnes region in southwest Iceland yesterday, encouraging her to prevent further cutbacks to the Sudurnes Healthcare Institution (HSS).
The petition was handed over to the minister during a public meeting at the local high school, attended by around 370 inhabitants. The minister then answered questions from attendees for about one and a half hours, Morgunbladid reports.
People criticized the current state of the healthcare service in Sudurnes. One woman said she had recently ordered an appointment at the GP’s for her son but was told that she couldn’t get an appointment until the beginning of next month.
Ingadóttir said she feels more emphasis should be placed on general healthcare services at HSS but less on HSS hospital services.
“People are naturally very frightened,” said Rev. Skúli S. Ólafsson of the Keflavík Church, who attended the meeting, explaining that the region is experiencing many difficulties at the moment, such as a high unemployment rate.
Click here to read more about unemployment in Sudurnes and here to read more about planned cutbacks to the Icelandic healthcare system.
