Denmark facing a shortage of doctors

According to Yngre Læger, the association for young doctors, Denmark will have a shortage of 5,500 doctors by 2035.

In 2012, Danish doctors could handle 93 percent of their countrymen's demands, but in 20 year's time, the doctor association predicts they will only be able to handle 83 percent of the work.

“We must act now if we don't want to find ourselves in a situation in which we lack the doctors to treat our ill citizens,” Camilla Rathcke, the head of Yngre Læger, told Politiken newspaper. “The waiting times will increase considerably.”

READ MORE: Mortality rate in hospitals twice as high on weekends and holidays

Minister in agreement
Yngre Læger are calling for a significant increase in the number of students who are accepted to study medicine, while specialist doctors should be educated at the hospitals to avoid the risk of treatment access inequality.

The health minister, Nick Hækkerup, admitted that even though a prognosis by the health authorities Sundhedsstyrelsen showed there would be upwards of 6,000 more doctors by 2030, it could prove to be challenging to get enough doctors in future.

According to Sundhedsstyrelsen, the number of doctors will rise from 21,000 today to almost 28,000 in 2035. Yngre Læger contends that over 33,000 doctors will be needed.

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