The Danish authorities confirmed on Sunday that Greenland does not need a special health initiative, stressing the availability of health care services for all. This came in response to US President Donald Trump's announcement on Saturday of his intention to send a floating hospital ship to the autonomous Danish region, which Trump aspires to annex. For his part, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Fredrik Nielsen rejected the American announcement, saying, "No, thank you."
Published on: 02/22/2026 - 16:14 Last updated: 02/23/2026 - 08:35
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen explained in a statement to local television that Greenlanders receive the required care within the territory or in Denmark for specialized cases, adding, "There is no justification for a special health initiative there."
This came in response to US President Donald Trump's statement on Saturday that he was coordinating with Louisiana Governor Jefflandry, the president's special envoy to Greenland, to send the floating hospital ship to the Danish island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, without explicitly referring to the American proposal, also expressed her happiness with the system that guarantees free and equal access to health care without discrimination based on wealth or insurance.
“The same approach is applied in Greenland,” she added in a Facebook post.
For his part, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Fredrik Nielsen rejected the US President's initiative, saying, "No, thank you."
The reality of health care in Greenland
Just as in Denmark, health care services are provided free of charge in Greenland, which runs its own health system, but relies heavily on Danish personnel.
Read also: In a gesture of support for the local government... Canada and France open two consulates in Greenland
The vast Antarctic island includes five regional hospitals, and Nuuk Hospital receives patients from various parts of the region.
In early February, the local government of Greenland signed an agreement with Copenhagen to improve the mechanism for treating Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Reactions to Trump's tweets
Donald Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social, on Saturday that he would send “a wonderful hospital ship to Greenland to care for many patients who are not receiving care there,” adding, “It is on its way!!!”
The US President explained that the process of sending the ship was being carried out in coordination with Jeff Landry, who in December appointed a special envoy of the United States to the Antarctic island.
But Poulsen said he was not aware of a hospital ship arriving in Greenland. He added, "Trump constantly posts tweets about Greenland... Perhaps this reflects the new reality that has begun to characterize international politics."
In a related context, the Arctic Command announced on Saturday the evacuation of a crew member of an American submarine for medical reasons off the coast of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
France 24/AFP
Keywords related to the article
The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.
