1.02 Remove the barriers to advances in health technology
Sustained advances in health technology are the key to achieving better preventive and therapeutic results. In relation to the countries we usually compare ourselves with, Denmark is one of the slowest to exploit such advances.
At the same time, the Danes’ access to new health technologies depends on where they live in Denmark. This then results in unequal access, which is contrary to the Danish tradition and political objective of easy and equal access to the National Health Service.
Different expenditure considerations often become barriers to the new technologies. Decentralisation of the health service, with its lack of common health care objectives, has also been found to delay the introduction of new health technologies in several places of the country. The result is that public access to new health technologies and optimal treatment becomes dependent on where in Denmark, the citizens live.
Moreover, Denmark is characterised by professional disagreement in the health service often blocking patients' access to the new technology. There are several examples of disagreement halting the introduction of new technology, even in situations where internationally recognised studies have documented the effect, and in spite of the fact that the National Board of Health has issued specific recommendations regarding the adoption of the treatment.
Lif believes:
- that Denmark should implement a focused initiative aimed at defining how the technologies can be fully exploited. Responsibility should lie with a central body such as the National Board of Health and should be based on general and coherent health planning,
- that a joint national knowledge centre for assessment of health knowledge and technology should be established. At present, efforts are dispersed among many different institutions and interests, which results in inconsistent assessment of new knowledge,
- that the financial considerations currently prevailing in the healthcare system should be avoided. Accordingly, financial assessments of new knowledge and technology should be based on a broad socioeconomic perspective,
- that detailed implementation plans should be drawn up once a decision has been made to adopt a new health technology in the health service.
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