Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1938, Page 169

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corresponding fees for treatment belonging to their speciality, e.g. eye
specialists get kr. 1.00 for each person, and ear, nose and throat spe-
cialists kr. 1.25. The most popular sick-insurance doctors have up to
1.500 adult people in their charge and specialists up to 9.000 whom
they attend in their speciality. Extra fees are paid for night and holi-
day attendance and also for important treatment outside hospitals.
For hospital patients the Sick Insurance pays a fixed agreed sum a
day for its members, and this amount covers board, medicine, nursing
and medical attention and anything else the patients need.
Pharmaceutical Chemists and the Sale of Medicines.
Dispensing chemists are onlv to be found in the towns and largest
villages, 15 in all, of whom 4 are in Reykjavik. Everywhere else the
dispensing and sale of medicines are in the hands of the district
physicians, but they deal with the chemists or the State Pharmaceutical
Monopoly which is a department of the State Wine and Spirits Monopoly,
and which imports medicines and medical goods for the pharmaceutical
chemists, district physicians and hospitals requiring it. In order to be-
come a pharmaceutical cheinist a royal licence has to be obtained and
the chemists have to take an oath that they will do their work in ac-
cordance with regulations made for that purpose. It has not been
customary to grant this licence to others than qualified pharmaceutical
chemists until recently when one of the largest co-operative societies
in the country was granted permission to run a c.hemists shop on the
condition that it should be managed by a sworn pharmaceutical chemist
whose appointment was subject to the approval of the Ministry. Medi-
cines are sold according to a tariff of prices fixed by the Minister of
Public Health, and on the whole they are cheaper than in other
countries. In spite of this the chemists’ business is considered to l>e
very profitable in the largest towns, especially in Reykjavík, and
entrance to it is very much coveted.
On the other hand there were so few positions in this field that un-
til recently only few Icelanders have studied pharmacy and therefore
the pharmaceutical chemists in Ieeland were often Danish. The Danish
chemists are now, however, rapidly getting fewer in number and their
places have been taken by Icelanders as is the case with so many
other professions; thus three of the four pharmaceutical chemists in
Reykjavík are Icelanders. There are certain indications of a desire in
some quarters for increased state control of the sale of medicines, and
even that it shall be entirely handled by the State. The matter is now
receiving consideration and it is not improbable that the State may
take into its hands all imports of medicines, even if the retail distri-
bution of them be continued in a similar way to the present arrangeinent.
Dental Surgeons and Dental Mechanics.
There are few dentists in Iceland. The explanation for this can un-
fortunately not be looked for in the fact that there is not sufficient
field of operation for them. The dental surgeons are all private practi-
tioners, although both Reykjavík and the larger villages engage dental