SÁÁ faces 10% budget cut from Icelandic government threatening addiction services

SÁÁ, an organization focused on addiction treatment, is facing a proposed budget cut of 10% from the Icelandic government. The leader of SÁÁ expressed hope for a correction to this reduction, but if it proceeds, it could lead to significant declines in their operations and services.

The government’s budget bill, which began discussions earlier this year, does not seem to reflect the increasing demand for SÁÁ’s services. Furthermore, a financial agreement with the Icelandic Health Insurance remains unfunded, hindering future service planning.

Anna Hildur Guðmundsdóttir, chair of SÁÁ, warned that this budget cut would lead to fewer admissions and make it extremely challenging to maintain current operations. She hopes for better outcomes in future discussions in parliament. SÁÁ highlighted in communications to the Ministry of Health and the parliamentary budget committee that an additional allocation of 120 million ISK, provided in 2022 to address operational challenges at the Vogar Hospital, is also being eliminated. This reduction is expected to result in a 7% decrease in services at Vogar and complicate the training of new healthcare staff specializing in substance abuse treatment.

The organization emphasized that now is a critical time for health authorities to engage in the restructuring of SÁÁ’s operations to ensure continuous care and adequate service levels for individuals suffering from addiction and their families. Ongoing negotiations with Icelandic Health Insurance are reportedly reaching a consensus on maintaining their contract.

Access to addiction services has never been more important according to the pressing realities outlined by SÁÁ.