Iceland's Health Minister Admits Decades-Long Nursing Home Shortfall

Alma D. Möller, Iceland’s Minister of Health, stated that fixing the crisis at Bráðamóttakan, the national emergency response unit, requires addressing the root cause: a severe shortage of nursing home beds. She emphasized that the expansion of long-term care facilities has moved far too slowly over many years. Her comments came during an interview on Sprengisandur, a program aired by Bylgjan radio this morning. Staff at Bráðamóttakan have long voiced serious concerns about working conditions, and it now appears a breaking point has been reached. Kristján Kristjánsson, the show’s host, noted that health workers’ tone has shifted dramatically. He remarked it’s likely no previous health minister has understood the problem as deeply as Alma does, yet little concrete progress has actually occurred under her leadership. Möller pointed to a recent article published by Vísir that examined nursing home capacity between 2019 and 2024. During that period, Iceland’s elderly population grew significantly, but only 69 new nursing home beds were added—far short of the planned increase of roughly 540. Adjusted for demographic changes, the country effectively lost 62 beds. She also referenced a 2023 government audit by Ríkisendurskoðun, which quoted Landspítali National University Hospital’s director from 2018 stating that around 130 patients were typically waiting in the hospital for nursing home placements at any given time.