Greenland’s health minister, Anna Wangenheim, has proposed that some Greenlandic patients be treated at hospitals in Region Nordjylland rather than only in Copenhagen.
DR reports that Wangenheim, minister for health and people with disabilities, raised the idea while visiting Denmark this week. She represents the Demokraterne party. Around 1,500 patients a year are sent from Greenland to hospitals in Copenhagen for specialist treatment.
According to DR, Wangenheim points to existing cooperation with Region Nordjylland and to personal ties among Greenlanders there. More than 3,000 people living in the region were born in Greenland, the highest number of any Danish region. She said those residents could act as support and help for patients undergoing treatment in Denmark.
Regional council chairman Mads Duedahl of Venstre told DR he is open to expanded cooperation. He said there is physical space at the former Sygehus Syd, but that staffing in the individual specialties must be examined. As long as the money follows, he called it an important and interesting task for Nordjylland.
Region Nordjylland already has an agreement to treat patients from the Faroe Islands. Danish regions and Greenland’s health service also cooperate today on the purchase of health supplies, per DR.
Dronning Ingrids Hospital in Nuuk cannot treat all cases, which is why patients with specialized needs are referred to Denmark. As stated by Indenrigs- og Sundhedsministeriet in June 2025, most of these patients are treated in Region Hovedstaden. They have mainly been sent to Rigshospitalet, Hvidovre and Bispebjerg, with accommodation at Det Grønlandske Patienthjem.
The number of transfers has risen steadily. Sundhedsmonitor reported in February 2025 that Region Hovedstaden treated 1,418 patients resident in Greenland in 2024. That was up from 1,389 in 2023 and 1,375 in 2022.
In September 2025, the then Danish government set aside 1.6 billion kroner for increased support to Greenland’s health system. The agreement has since been expanded, and Denmark now pays all costs for treating Greenlandic patients at Danish hospitals, DR notes. Naalakkersuisut stated in February 2026 that 185 million kroner is earmarked for this in 2026, plus a 15 million kroner reserve.
Timing tied to February agreement
The sub-agreement published by the Danish Ministry of Finance on February 9, 2026 sets out a follow-up in the first half of 2026. It concerns forward-looking models for specialized treatment of Greenlandic patients at Danish hospitals. The September 2025 framework agreement also states that referral models are to be developed jointly by Greenland’s health minister and Denmark’s interior and health minister.
