The Norwegian health reform in a Nordic perspective

– Lessons from Denmark and Iceland

Norway is in the middle of a health reform, and its neighbours have been through similar changes. Denmark’s health reform (Sundhedsreformen) takes effect on 1 January 2027, and Landspítali in Iceland has been transformed from within. In this session, Sine Mainz presents the Danish reform: how responsibility is being redistributed, with more care moved closer to citizens, four regions instead of five, and new health councils where regions and municipalities work together.

Svava María Atladóttir, former Chief Transformation Officer and project sponsor at Landspítali, and Schirin Lucie Richter from Future Medical Systems, who coached the team on the design methodology, share what they learned from putting the patient journey at the centre. We look at why patient journey work matters in healthcare transformation, how participatory journey mapping can be carried out in a clinical setting, and how patient and family perspectives can inform service improvement. We also discuss how this kind of work supports strategic decisions on digital solutions, quality indicators and future models of care.

Participants:

• Svava María Atladóttir, Special Advisor to the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health of Iceland
• Schirin Lucie Richter, Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Future Medical Systems
• Sine Mainz, Head of Business Development, Digital Sundhed Danmark

Moderator: Tarje Bjørgum, Leder for helse og bærekraft, Abelia