Queen Ingrid's Hospital () is the central hospital of

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. It is in

Nuuk Nuuk (; , formerly ) is the capital and most populous city of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. It is also the seat of gove ...

, the capital. The local health center, Queen Ingrid's Health Center, is an extension to the main hospital building, but operates separately from the hospital. In 2022 the health commission concluded that a new hospital was needed to replace the current one, which the

Naalakkersuisut The Naalakkersuisut or the Government of Greenland () is the chief executive body, the cabinet and the government of Greenland since the island became self-governing in 1979. As an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is a p ...

(Government of Greenland) has talked about since 2020.

History

The hospital opened in 1954 as a

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

called Queen Ingrid's Sanatorium, from which the hospital is nicknamed "Sana". It was named after

Ingrid Ingrid may refer to: * Ingrid (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ingrid Burley (born 1986), rapper known mononymously as Ingrid * Ingrid (record label), also an artist collective * Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cy ...

, the queen of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. In 1961 the hospital got its status as the national hospital and its current name. Patients from every part of Greenland can be transferred there if their

regional hospital A regional hospital or district hospital is a hospital that serves a geographic region larger area than a single local or rural area. Some countries also define specific services that required in regional hospitals. The word ''regional'' or ''dis ...

cannot treat their illnesses. In March 2011 the local health center and a new national pharmacy was inaugurated. The design of the buildings takes the form of sunken angular blocks and is clad in copper both on the facades and roof. The architecture by C. F. Møller Architects is inspired by the ice floes that float in

Nuup Kangerlua Nuup Kangerlua is a long fjord in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. It was formerly known by its colonial name as Godthaab Fjord (), Gilbert Sound and Baal's River.Nicoll, James. An Historical and Descriptive Account of Ice ...

and the image of Sermitsiaq mountain. A year later, in October 2012, a new emergency center was opened. The center includes an ICU, an ER (which is operated by the health center, not the hospital) and new operating rooms. In February 2018 an IMCU ward was opened.

Patient transport to the hospital

Non-emergency admissions can be planned via regular scheduled flights. Emergency admissions can take place via evacuation from all over Greenland using King Air ambulance flight or helicopters operated by

Air Greenland Air Greenland Aktieselskab, A/S (formerly named Grønlandsfly and Greenlandair) is the flag carrier of Greenland, owned by the Naalakkersuisut, Greenlandic Government. It operates a fleet of 28 aircraft, including a single Airbus A330-800 airli ...

. There are not always specialist doctors available in Greenland, therefore elective admissions are planned ahead for when specialists are available. Acute and subacute cases that can not be handled by the available staff, will be conferred with

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''the National'', ''State'', ''Kingdom'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital ...

in Denmark, to where patients can be evacuated if needed. In rare cases evacuations to

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

can take place, if the distance is shorter from the patient's place to there compared with the distance to Queen Ingrid's Hospital, for example

Ittoqqortoormiit Ittoqqortoormiit (; ), formerly known as Scoresbysund, is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland. Its population was 345 as of 2020, and it has been described as one of the most remote settlements on Earth. The former ...

Departments

Queen Ingrid's Health Center is the local health center of Nuuk. Organizationally, it is not part of the hospital, but is built in extension of the hospital. The health center is run by specialists in family medicine and registered nurses. The prescribed medicine is free of charge, and can be collected in the national pharmacy. The Department of Medicine includes two general wards, M1 and M2, as well as several outpatient clinics. Since 2014 a need for an expansion of the children ward has been discussed. The Department of Surgery includes three general wards. K1 (orthopedic surgery), K2 (parenchymal surgery and urology), K3 (gynecology and obstetrics), several outpatient clinics, and a maternity ward. The Emergency department includes an intermediate intensive care unit (IMCU), an intensive care unit (ICU) with an integrated Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The Department of Psychiatry has one general 12-bed psychiatric ward, A1, as well as several outpatient clinics. Some forensic patients have to be transferred to a special ward in Denmark. Since 2018 a new psychiatric building has been planned. The project has been delayed by budget overruns, and several cancellations of tenders. In 2005 the Danish entrepreneur and millionaire Svend Junge, who lived most of his life in Greenland, donated a new

CT scanner A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

to the hospital's Department of Radiology. It was in use until 2017 when two new CT scanners were bought by the hospital itself. In 2012 the British Candy Foundation donated a new

MRI machine Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

. It was used until 2023 when the Danish Kirsten & Freddy Johansens Foundation donated a new machine to the hospital.

References

External links

Queen Ingrid's Hospital

Queen Ingrid's Health Center

National Pharmacy
{{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1953 Hospital buildings completed in 1980 Hospitals in Greenland Buildings and structures in Nuuk Tuberculosis sanatoria