Healthcare in Greenland is facing significant challenges after the IT systems at Queen Ingrid’s Health Center in Nuuk suffered a breakdown. This has led to patient records being inaccessible and the doctor’s phone number not working. The health center has informed on Facebook that urgent patients should now contact the emergency room or ambulance directly.
The problem is not isolated to Nuuk. Several other hospitals in Greenland are reporting similar IT breakdowns, causing chaotic conditions in the healthcare system. There is also an IT breakdown at the Qeqqata Regional Hospital, but the phones are still operational. The hospital has announced that the appointment number 801112 is only accepting urgent requests, and regular consultations can only be booked from next week.
The Qaqortoq Regional Hospital is also affected by the breakdown, making it impossible to schedule doctor’s appointments. Furthermore, the health center’s and Greenlandic healthcare system’s websites are inaccessible, further complicating the situation.
The healthcare system is working intensively to resolve the issues. According to Sermitsiaq.AG, similar IT problems are also affecting healthcare systems in Germany and the United Kingdom, meaning only urgent patients can be treated in those countries.
Therefore, the Greenlandic healthcare system is facing a major challenge, and it is uncertain when the IT systems will be up and running again. Treatment of urgent patients is prioritized during this period, while regular consultations may have to wait.