Health care in Denmark
Encyclopedia
Health care in Denmark is largely financed through local (county and municipal) taxation with integrated funding
and provision of health care
at the local (county) level.
Denmark spends 9.8% of GDP on healthcare.
The life expectancy in Denmark is 78.6 years.
There is 1 doctor for every 294 persons in Denmark.
in Denmark
is provided by general practitioner
s, who are paid on a combined capitation
and fee-for-service
basis in a similar way to those in the United Kingdom
. The counties determine the number and location of general practitioners, and their fees and working conditions are negotiated centrally between the physicians' union
and the government. The municipal health services provide health visitor
s, home nurses and school health care
.
s owned and run by the counties (or the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation in the Copenhagen
area). This is similar to the model in other Scandinavia
n countries.
There are few private hospital
providers, and they account for less than 1% of hospital beds.
plays a relatively limited role in health care in Denmark. Its main functions are to regulate, coordinate and provide advice and its main responsibilities are to establishing goals for national health policy, determining national health legislation, formulating regulation, promoting cooperation between different health care actors, providing guidelines for the health sector, providing health and health care-related information, promoting quality and tackling patient complaints.
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
and provision of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
at the local (county) level.
Denmark spends 9.8% of GDP on healthcare.
The life expectancy in Denmark is 78.6 years.
There is 1 doctor for every 294 persons in Denmark.
Primary care
Most primary carePrimary care
Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
is provided by general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
s, who are paid on a combined capitation
Capitation (healthcare)
Capitation, is a method of paying health care service providers a set amount for each enrolled person assigned to that physician or group of physicians, whether or not that person seeks care, per period of time....
and fee-for-service
Fee-for-service
Fee-for-service is a payment model where services are unbundled and paid for separately. In health care, it gives an incentive for physicians to provide more treatments because payment is dependent on the quantity of care, rather than quality of care...
basis in a similar way to those in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The counties determine the number and location of general practitioners, and their fees and working conditions are negotiated centrally between the physicians' union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and the government. The municipal health services provide health visitor
Health visitor
Health visitors are UK community health nurses who have undertaken further training to work as part of a primary health care team. As their name suggests, their role is to promote mental, physical and social well-being in the community by giving advice and support to families in all age groups...
s, home nurses and school health care
School health services
School health services are services from medical, teaching and other professionals applied in or out of school to improve the health and well-being of children and in some cases whole families...
.
Secondary care
Hospital care is mainly provided by hospitalHospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s owned and run by the counties (or the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation in the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
area). This is similar to the model in other Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries.
There are few private hospital
Private hospital
A private hospital is a hospital owned by a profit company or a non-profit organisation and privately funded through payment for medical services by patients themselves, by insurers, or by foreign embassies. This practice is very common in the United States and Australia...
providers, and they account for less than 1% of hospital beds.
Central government role
The central governmentGovernment of Denmark
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy based on a unicameral parliamentary system. The affairs of Government are decided by a Cabinet of Ministers, which is led by a Prime Minister...
plays a relatively limited role in health care in Denmark. Its main functions are to regulate, coordinate and provide advice and its main responsibilities are to establishing goals for national health policy, determining national health legislation, formulating regulation, promoting cooperation between different health care actors, providing guidelines for the health sector, providing health and health care-related information, promoting quality and tackling patient complaints.
Source
- "Health care systems in transition - Denmark, HiT Summary" - World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...