Health Minister reveals 18 adults and 11 children referred for psychiatric care abroad from Faroe Islands

Since 2019, the psychiatric department has referred 18 adults for assessments or treatments abroad, a process set to continue through 2024. During the same period, the child and adolescent psychiatry department has referred 11 children and youth for similar purposes.

These numbers were revealed in a response from Margit Stórá, the Minister of Health, to Liljuna Weihe, a member of the Parliament, who inquired about the number of patients sent outside the country for psychiatric care.

Patients are referred to Denmark for treatment due to the lack of available services in the Faroe Islands, the minister stated. Children with physical illnesses are also sent to Denmark for care, amounting to a total of 762 between 2020 and 2023, including those referred by the child and adolescent psychiatry department.

The hospital system does not track how many individuals have voluntarily enrolled in after-school programs or treatment facilities in Denmark.

In terms of financials, the hospital paid two million Danish kroner to the Region Hovedstaden-Psykiatri in 2021, 1.6 million kroner in 2022, and six million kroner in 2023 for these treatments. Additionally, costs include travel expenses, accommodation at the patient hotel Tórshavn, and any assessments or treatments conducted outside of the Region Hovedstaden-Psykiatri, as mentioned by Margit Stórá in her response.