🇫🇴 Faroe Islands Healthcare Guide
The National Hospital in Torshavn is the only full-service hospital for all 18 islands, and serious cases are airlifted to Copenhagen. EHIC is not valid here despite the Danish connection, and pharmacies carry a limited range compared to mainland Scandinavia — bring a full supply of any regular medications rather than assuming you can refill locally.
Quick facts
- Emergency number: 112
- Healthcare system: mixed
- Average GP visit: $40 USD
- EHIC/GHIC accepted: No
- Language barrier: medium
Healthcare overview
The Faroe Islands have one hospital, the National Hospital (Landssjukrahúsið) in Tórshavn, which handles most medical care for the archipelago’s 54,000 residents. Specialist care and complex cases are typically transferred to Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen by air ambulance. Clinics on outer islands are staffed by general practitioners with limited diagnostic equipment. Having your health summary saved and accessible offline is worth doing, since connectivity on smaller islands can be unreliable.
Air transfer to Denmark
Complex cases or specialist needs beyond the National Hospital’s capacity are transferred to Copenhagen, usually within 24 hours.
Outer island clinics
Islands like Suðuroy, Sandoy, and Vágar have small GP clinics only. For anything beyond basic care, Tórshavn is the destination.
Vaccinations
Recommended
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Typhoid
Prescriptions and pharmacies
The pharmacy in Tórshavn stocks most standard medications, but the range is limited compared to mainland Denmark. Outer islands have no pharmacies at all. Carry your full medication supply for the duration of your stay, including a buffer for weather-related travel delays that can strand visitors on outer islands for days.
Weather-related isolation
Fog and storms regularly cancel inter-island ferries and helicopter services. Carry extra medication to cover potential delays of 2–3 days.
Tips for travellers
Chronic care management in the Faroes is limited to what the National Hospital in Tórshavn can provide, which covers general internal medicine but not narrow specialties. Visitors with complex ongoing conditions should plan for the possibility of transfer to Denmark. Having your full treatment protocol saved and accessible offline means providers in Tórshavn can assess whether local management is feasible or transfer is needed.
Specialist care unavailable locally
Cardiology, oncology, and endocrinology subspecialties are not available in the Faroes. These cases route through Copenhagen.