Healthcare Access Concerns Raised After Road Closures in East Iceland

2026-03-25 - 13:52

Severe weather in East Iceland has renewed calls for improved transport links across the region. Yesterday, a patient required transfer under difficult conditions during widespread road closures. As reported by RÚV, medical teams transported a patient by land from Egilsstaðir to Akureyri after the usual routes between became impassable. Air transport was also ruled out due to weather conditions. What's the Story? Patient transported by land between Egilsstaðir and Akureyri during road closures and grounded flights No access between Egilsstaðir and Neskaupstaður due to severe weather conditions Director of Medical Services at HSA calls for Fjarðarheiðar tunnel to improve healthcare access Photo: Pxhere. Healthcare access concerns According to Eyjólfur Þorkelsson, Director of Medical Services at the East Iceland Health Institute (HSA), such disruptions highlight ongoing challenges in regional healthcare access. “It often happens that there is poor or no access between the core areas here in the east of Iceland, which means that the organization of healthcare services has to take this into account,” he said. Eyjólfur has urged authorities to reconsider the proposed Fjarðarheiðar tunnel, which was removed from the latest transport plan despite being ready for tender. He argues the project is necessary to improve safety and reliability in the region. “In order for the great transportation improvement that the Mjóafjarðar Tunnel could be, it must also and must first be connected between the tunnel and the Hérað, otherwise we are heading for increased traffic on a road that is already dangerous,” he said. “These tunnels are ready for tender, where we can start on those tunnels while the other tunnels are being investigated and then proceed directly to them so that we don’t have to be in exactly the same situation year after year.”