Trust In Health Care System Has Increased During The Pandemic

The trust that Icelanders have in the health care system has increased since the corornavirus pandemic began, RÚV reports.

This was brought to light by new research conducted by Geir Gunnlaugsson, former Director of Health and professor emeritus of global health at the University of Iceland. 95% of participants reported that they trust the Icelandic health care system to respond to global health threats.

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He researched the dual attitudes of people on whether the health care system can handle serious illnesses, first during the Ebola outbreak of 2016, and then when the coronavirus began to spread.

“I submitted a questionaire to a panel of Icelanders regarding whether they believed the health authorities and health clinics respond correctly to global health threats,” Geir told reporters, and referred to the first poll, regarding Ebola. “At that time, one third had doubts or serious concerns on whether the health care system was prepared.”

Contrasted with the responses during the time of COVID, he says, “Using the same questions and similar wording, a tremendous amount of trust comes to light. Amongst respondents, 95% said they are just very pleased with the response.”