The government of Denmark is planning to allocate 140 million Danish kroner (approximately 20 million USD) to a special health fund for Greenland in next year’s budget. This initiative is a key component of the government’s proposal for the national budget for 2025, which will be presented in the coming days, according to the Ministry of Interior and Health (Indenrigs- og Sundhedsministeriet).

Interior and Health Minister Sophie Løhde from the Liberal Party (Venstre) stated that Greenland’s healthcare system is facing significant challenges and requires necessary reforms in the coming years. “We want to support the Greenlandic people financially, as their healthcare system is in a difficult situation,” she remarked.

The ministry identifies several factors contributing to the current issues, including recruitment difficulties, a growing elderly population, and citizens with complex health needs. Additionally, a forthcoming healthcare reform is expected to necessitate extensive restructuring.

The Danish government has specific ideas about how the 140 million kroner will be used, which is planned to be distributed over the period from 2025 to 2028. “We envision that the funds can cover expenses for cancer and heart patients who are sent to Denmark for treatment,” Løhde noted. However, she emphasized that the exact allocation of funds has not yet been finalized.

Further planning will be initiated in collaboration with the Greenlandic Ministry of Health (Grønlands Sundhedsministerium) to clarify the specific uses of the fund.

The amount of 140 million kroner is relatively modest compared to the overall budget for both the national budget and the total support Greenland receives. In 2024, Greenland received around 4 billion kroner from Denmark in the form of an annual block grant (bloktilskud).